The High Court today ordered the closure of the Miza pharmaceutical plant in County Tipperary with the loss of the up to 280 jobs.
Miza Ireland, formerly Antigen, had been under examinership for over year to protect it from creditors while it searched for an investor.
The plant in Roscrea was taken over by the Canadian based Miza Pharmaceuticals in November 2001.
The examiner, Mr Tom Grace of KPMG, had been trying to find an investor for the company which is understood to have debts in excess of €23 million.
It had been thought that a deal might be arranged with UK company Goldshield, which had a five-year supply contract with Miza for the manufacture of products for the British National Health Service (NHS).
However, today the High Court approved the winding up of the company and appointed Mr Grace as the liquidator.
The closure is a major blow to Roscrea as the factory's wage bill is estimated to be worth around €10 million to the town's economy.
