Podcasts · The Story of Money

How Trump’s tariffs threaten Ireland’s pharma fortune

21 May 2025 · 21 min

Ireland has become a major base for US pharma companies, including Pfizer, Eli Lilly and Johnson & Johnson. That’s bolstered the economies of individual towns and played a role in the country’s massive budget surplus. Now, US President Donald Trump’s tariff threats are bringing a dose of uncertainty. The FT’s Ireland correspondent Jude Webber traveled to the town where the world’s supply of Botox is produced to see what impact potential pharmaceutical tariffs might have on the country.

Clips from WKYC, The Journal, Bloomberg

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For further reading:

Trump tariffs bring furrowed brows to Ireland’s Botox town

Trump’s tariffs threaten Ireland’s pharma fortune

Ireland’s luxury problem: what to do with its €8.6bn surplus

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Follow Jude Webber on X (@jude_webber), or on Bluesky (@judewebber.bsky.social). Michela Tindera is on X (@mtindera07) and Bluesky (@mtindera.ft.com), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Links in the notes 8

• https://www.ft.com/content/c31b4eab-673e-4106-b29d-8efa7238b3e4
• https://www.ft.com/content/3215798d-2d96-4d69-a032-b9d1b412afab
• https://www.ft.com/content/bda76023-5cc2-404a-8ad0-c9cba8af4f88
• https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:giiv5cgv3npfnd5ghun5ocpl
• https://twitter.com/mtindera07
• https://bsky.app/profile/mtindera.ft.com
• https://www.ft.com/content/b72435ec-db62-4598-8a73-b2bbfcac0fe2
• https://acast.com/privacy

The episode on the publisher’s site ↗ (opens in a new tab)