“The investment will encompass the Company’s Clonshaugh and Westport manufacturing operations, supporting increased manufacturing capabilities for some of Allergan’s key current and future products,” a spokesperson for the firm told in-Pharmatechnologist.com.
The 61 acre site in Westport, located about 200km west of Dublin, makes sterile pharmaceutical ophthalmic and biologics and was subject to a €270m investment in 2012 to support botox production.
“[The latest investment] will go towards adding additional capacity to its eye-care manufacturing operations and the expansion of its ocular implant manufacturing facility to accommodate both a capacity increase for existing products and also the capability to accommodate new products using this technology platform.”
Clonshaugh, meanwhile, was added to the firm’s network in 2014 when Allergan – at the time known as Actavis – acquired Forest Laboratories for $28bn.
Operations at the GMP site include weighing, mixing, granulation, tabletting, coating and packing of raw materials.
Irish jobs
The announcement comes as Allergan celebrates 40 years in Ireland, a country which has become a major small and large molecule manufacturing hub for the pharmaceutical industry.
“Allergan were amongst the early arrivals to Ireland and helped to sow the seeds of what was then our emerging pharmaceutical sector, which thankfully took root with much vigour over the intervening years,” Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny said in a statement.
“Allergan has undoubtedly made a significant contribution to making Ireland home to a world class pharmaceutical industry and I wish to thank them for their ongoing commitment to their Irish operations.”
Currently the firm employs around 1,700 workers in Ireland, 1,100 of which at the Westport site. We asked if the latest investment would lead to more jobs:
“We do expect the investment into increased manufacturing capabilities and capacity will lead to new job creation,” the spokesperson said. “The Company will provide further details as the projects advance.”