Promising the creation of 50 jobs over the next three years, Jazz Pharmaceuticals officially opened its manufacturing and development facility in Monksland, Athlone on Tuesday (August 2 ).
The brand new €50 million facility, situated on a 17-acre site in Monksland, has been under construction since 2014, and is the first directly owned, managed, and operated manufacturing facility to be built by Jazz.
Jazz is a global pharmaceutical company with its headquarters in Dublin, where it employs approximately 100 people, and with operations in multiple cities in the US; in Oxford, England; and in Villa Guardia, Italy. Up to 50 people are expected to be employed at the Athlone plant within three years.
The Athlone facility recently secured full regulatory approval from the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA ) and the Health Products Regulatory Authority in Ireland.
Tuesday’s opening ceremony was attended by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, and Minister for Communications, Climate Change and Environment, Denis Naughton.
Speaking at the event, Minister Mitchell O’Connor said: “I’m delighted to be present today to mark the official opening of Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ first manufacturing plant in Ireland. Having a global pharmaceutical company of this calibre establish such a facility in County Roscommon is hugely significant, demonstrating serious commitment by the company to the region. The jobs created when the facility is operating at full capacity will be of great benefit to the local area and economy.”
Minister Naughten said the investment was “hugely important” for Monksland and the region.
“It is a testament to the talent and expertise of the people of Roscommon. We welcome the new facility and greatly appreciate the investment and loyalty to the region shown by Jazz Pharmaceuticals,” said Minister Naughten.
Chairman and chief executive of Jazz, Bruce Cozadd, said the new facility represented an investment in Ireland and would allow the company to “more closely oversee and control the process of bringing high quality products to patients”.
“It is particularly meaningful for us to open it in Ireland, close to our global corporate headquarters in Dublin. We were encouraged to come to Roscommon because of the excellent track record of this community in supporting the pharmaceutical industry and the pool of local talent available.
“We would like to acknowledge the local community, Roscommon County Council, and IDA Ireland for their continued support and collaboration, and note the remarkable pro-business environment in Ireland that facilitates investments like this one.”
