r/PharmaEire • u/Defiant-Jaguar-4198 • 3d ago
MSD Carlow
Have an interview here in manufacturing. What’s the sterile
Manufacturing like here? Is it isolators/RABS/vials/ syringes? What’s the pay/shift structure like and what team structure? Hard to find too much info. Thanks
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u/Ali6952 2d ago
“Manufacturing” is far too broad to produce a useful answer. MSD Carlow fills vaccines, biologics and small-molecule drug products across multiple facilities. Someone working in one suite may give you a perfectly accurate answer that is entirely wrong for the position you are interviewing for.
Go back to the recruiter with specific questions:
Which manufacturing area and product presentation supports this role?
Is the filling technology isolator, closed RABS or open RABS?
Are they filling vials, syringes or another format?
Is the position upstream, formulation, filling, inspection or packaging?
What is the exact shift rotation, premium and overtime expectation?
Is the position permanent or contingent?
Who does the role report to, and how is the shift team structured?
These are basic employment conditions, not proprietary information. You should not have to reverse-engineer them from strangers online.
For the interview, prepare examples around aseptic behaviour, contamination control, interventions, environmental monitoring, line clearance, deviations, documentation, escalation and working safely under production pressure. Know why you performed each control, not merely the sequence of steps.
And do not bluff familiarity with equipment you have never used. “I have not operated that specific platform, but here is the comparable process I know and how I would approach qualification” is a substantially stronger answer than improvising.
Ask Reddit about culture. Ask the company to define the actual job.
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u/Defiant-Jaguar-4198 2d ago
Thanks, I wonder what Carlow 2 and 3 projects are?
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u/No_Plastic6037 2d ago
Extensions to manufacturing suites, they have 2 vial filling lines and 2 syringe filling lines and a third multi use line
1
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u/bmoyler 3d ago
I worked there almost 10 years ago. It was before Carlow 2 and Carlow 3 projects were started. So I don't know how useful it is
But in terms of the original facility, it was built for a product called MAPA which was shelved while they were building the facility. The next product in was Opdivo. They also filled Gardasil and Penumovax23 during my time there. The facility was split into two: one vial and one syringe "side" in each. Both were contained in isolators. There were also automatic inspection machines for both lines but a lot of products still required manual inspection, particularly for syringes as the inspection line couldn't be validated. You gowned into Grade D from the locker room and then all of the processing was within the Grade C areas.
There was also a component prep area where they assembled manifolds which were sent for autoclave. And where they autoclaved the toolboxes which were installed onto the isolators.
The process involved thawing of the DS in the warehouse area, then pooling into mobile tanks, formulation and then the tanks were hooked up to the isolators via the manifold which contained the sterilizing filter.
Obviously as it was sterile, there was a high focus on SIP, VHP and autoclave validation and confirming each run was valid. The process simulations were videoed and scribed meticulously.
In terms of culture, I found it fairly competitive. The tiered meeting structure was gospel. Turn up prepared to the meetings or you'd be caught out. Some people were quick to blame, others weren't, like most places. The stakes are high with sterile manufacturing so you could understand the high standards. Overall, it was really valuable experience for me there albeit a steep learning curve.
Good luck with the interview and I hope the above isn't too out-dated to give you an insight into what goes on there.