West Pharmaceutical Services win Company of the Year at Irish Medtech Awards - Irish Medtech

Irish Medtech, the Ibec group that represents the medtech sector, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland today revealed the winners of the Irish Medtech Awards 2025, which are held as part of Medtech Rising, 4 December, in The Galmont, Galway.

Dr Eoghan Ó Faoláin, Irish Medtech Director, said, “Congratulations to all the winners at the Irish Medtech Awards 2025. I’m delighted to announce that this year’s Medtech Company of the Year is West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. In 2024 alone West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. touched the lives of 10.5 million patients with devices for diabetes care. West is a leading provider of innovative solutions and employs 1,000+ people in Dublin with 330 to be added following a significant expansion to achieve its mission of delivering critical treatment to patients. This commitment to improving lives includes a high level of employee engagement, contribution to driving Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the broader manufacturing ecosystem as well as community involvement with €500,000 to the Children’s Health Foundation in recent years. The GLP-1 market (drugs for diabetes and weight loss such as Ozempic) is expected to grow by over $400 billion within the next five years and the Dublin facility is now well placed to play its part in this amazing global opportunity, providing significant opportunities to the Dublin region and Irish economy in general.

Simon Frainey, Senior Director of Operations & Dublin Site Head said “This award highlights the high performance culture of the Dublin operation, as we continue to strategically optimize and grow core Device Contract Manufacturing while evolving to a higher value ‘West Vantage’ business through Drug Packaging Offerings and Combination Product Solutions. Winning this award is fantastic recognition of the patient centric mindset of our teams and how we perform every day as a trusted partner to established and emerging customers.”

The full list of winners:

• Medtech Company of the Year Award: West Pharmaceutical Services Inc
• Emerging Medtech Company of the Year Award: Palliare
• Digital Health Innovation of the Year Award: CergenX
• Best Process-Product Innovation in Medtech Award: Alcon Ireland
• Collaboration in Medtech Award: Institute for Clinical Trials University of Galway
• Medtech Partner/Supplier of the Year Award: West Pharmaceutical Services Inc
• Best Talent Strategy in Medtech Award: Stryker
• Sustainable Medtech Company of the Year Award: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland

Eoghan added, “As a leader in medtech employment in Europe, the Best Talent Strategy in Medtech Award is a particularly competitive category. This year’s winner is Stryker. At Stryker, its people are its greatest strength and the foundation of its success. Stryker’s mission is to make healthcare better. Its commitment to developing talent at every level has a tangible impact. Stryker’s talent strategy is not just about delivering measurable results but about investing in the future of employees. By investing in people, Stryker are investing in its continued success.”

“The Sustainable Medtech Company of the Year Award winner demonstrates how global manufacturing can champion environmental responsibility, Johnson & Johnson MedTech | Vision Care Ireland. Johnson & Johnson has been part of the Castletroy community since 1996, with over 1,800 employees. Its deep commitment to the local community is illustrated by its work partnering with Limerick-based supplier to advance circular solutions for plastics and packaging, planting 420+ native trees and turning its 95-acre campus into a biodiversity hub, and 100% renewable electricity achieved five years early.”

John Nugent Department Manager, Medical Technologies and Healthcare Services, IDA Ireland, "A unique strength of Ireland's medtech ecosystem is our ability to collaborate. This year's Collaboration in Medtech Award goes to the Institute for Clinical Trials which is a clinical gateway for medtech and digital health that is helping to transform how early-stage medtech trials are delivered in Ireland and offering insights into need-driven research to improve global health outcomes. The institute has worked with organisations from Irish and international startups to global multinationals such as Medtronic, InterVene, and Luminate Medical to achieve clinical success."

He continued, “Alcon Ireland, winner of the Best Process-Product Innovation in Medtech Award, exemplifies organisations that drive cutting-edge innovations from Ireland. Alcon is a global leader in eyecare, with a heritage spanning over 75 years with its products touching the lives of more than 260 million people in over 140 countries. Alcon Ireland has been successfully operating in Cork in partnership with IDA Ireland since 1991 and employs more than 600 highly skilled associates across 25 different nationalities.”

Cepta Duffy, Head of Lifescience and Healthtech at Enterprise Ireland, added “Ireland’s global medtech hub is bolstered by dynamic start-ups. This years’ Emerging Medtech Company of the Year Award is Palliare. Palliare is the third startup from John and Caroline O’Dea, based in Galway, Ireland and California in the US, with turnover doubling annually since 2022 thanks to its success as a leading technology provider in areas such as surgical smoke evacuation during endoscopic surgery.

She continued, “As the healthcare industry evolves its need for more patient-focused drug delivery solutions becomes increasingly critical. That is why West Pharmaceutical Services Inc is this year’s well deserved Medtech Partner/Supplier of the Year Award winner. The company’s recent contract manufacturing expansion in Dublin reflects West’s strategy of meeting its customers’ needs while managing transformational change and introducing a ‘born lean’ philosophy. The resulting impact is improved quality delivery through innovation in process robustness and culture.”

Ireland is regarded as a leading global health tech hub and the Digital Health Innovation of the Year Award reflects an increasingly important segment. This year’s winner CergenX is at the forefront of neonatal neurotechnology, leveraging AI to improve outcomes for newborns worldwide thanks to its flagship device, Wave which enables the early detection of brain injury. This scalable cloud platform supports multi-signal processing and the development of new diagnostic tools paving the way for expansion into wider digital health applications.

Eoghan concluded, “A special award for the industry is Irish Medtech’s Outstanding Contribution to Medtech Award for a recognised leader who’ve helped advance the sector here. Tom Kelly exemplifies the spirit of this award. As the Enterprise Ireland Divisional Manager for Industrial and Lifesciences he led pioneering initiatives, collaborative partnerships, and tireless worked to advance Ireland’s medtech sector, and strengthen our global reputation.”

Thank you to our Medtech Rising sponsors: Platinum sponsor, EY; Gold sponsors, Aerogen, Brightbeam, DHL Global Forwarding, Freudenberg Medical, Irish Medtech Skillnet, Kuehne + Nagel, Multivac Group, Teleflex, Trinzo and; Silver sponsors, Alcon, BioInnovate, EIT Health, Harland Medical Systems, Innopharma Education, Manufacturing Engineering and Polymer Technology Apprenticeships, Medical Technology Ireland, Stragilon, TE Connectivity, UL Solutions, and XMS Capital Partners.