Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced an additional €100 million investment in an expansion of its Athlone operations which will result in the creation of 50 additional jobs for Athlone.
The new investment will bring total employment at the facility to more than 100 people. The investment will see the construction of a new biologics manufacturing facility at the site.
“Alexion is delighted to announce this additional expansion to our existing Athlone site as we deliver upon our mission to transform the lives of patients with ultra-rare diseases,” said Julie O’Neill, executive vice president of global operations at Alexion.
“Ireland is a key location for Alexion’s global operations and we are committed to further developing our manufacturing facilities in the country to support increasing production needs of our highly innovative and life-transforming therapies.”
The new manufacturing facility demonstrates Alexion’s continued commitment to Ireland and to Athlone since first announcing a presence in the area. The current Athlone site houses a vial fill-finish facility.
“This additional investment also demonstrates our commitment to job growth in Ireland and the Athlone region, as we look to hire the best talent locally as part of this site expansion,” said Grainne McAleese, general manager at Alexion Ireland. “Alexion is at the forefront of innovation and all our staff are passionate about our commitment to the patients we serve.
“We already have a well-established presence in Athlone since 2013, with a great local workforce, and we are very firmly committed to this region going forward. We are establishing collaborations with local schools and institutes of technology and will be offering excellent career opportunities for people in the area.”
Roscommon-Galway Deputy, Denis Naughten, says the Alexion investment is yet another indication that Monksland “is fast becoming the biopharma centre of the country”. He praised the company’s willingness to hire locally and commended it for its decision to provide the required training at Athlone Insititute of Technology to assist local people in filling these roles.
Independent Deputy, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, has called the move “a vote of confidence in the skillset of the local workforce”. Deputy Moran said he is particularly pleased to see Athlone’s reputation as a pharmaceutical manufacturing base growing, something he says must continue for the good of the locality.
