Allergan marked 40 successful years of business in Ireland this week confirming an additional investment of €42 million in its Irish operations in 2017. The company employs approximately 1,700 people in Ireland with the vast majority of those in its Westport plant. It also announced details of a new €50,000 Innovation Award Programme with Irish colleges around the country.
Allergan operates three facilities in Ireland, two manufacturing operations, the main one in Westport along with one in Clonshaugh in Dublin and a supply chain office in Dublin city centre. This investment of €42 million across its manufacturing operations will support increased manufacturing capabilities for some of Allergan’s key current and future products. The investment in Westport 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 the capability to accommodate new products using this technology platform which are currently under development.
Marking Allergan’s 40 years in Ireland, An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, said: "Four decades ago, Allergan had the confidence and foresight to invest in Ireland developing their first facility at Westport, and a second facility in 1992 at Clonshaugh in north Dublin. I have seen first-hand the growth of the company in Mayo from roughly 25 jobs in 1977 and how they became an integral part of the community, which has since expanded to over 1,100 jobs in Westport. Allergan were among 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. 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."
Allergan’s chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Brent Saunders said: “As Allergan continues to grow its operations globally, Ireland continues to be a cornerstone of that growth. Our success has been built on strong teams globally, including our highly talented team we have here in Ireland, operating at state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities producing pharmaceutical products for the global market. We are excited to announce continued investment in our Ireland operations, which will help Allergan continue to provide patients in Ireland and around the world with our innovative medicines.”
Since 1977, Allergan has built strong relationships and collaborated closely with local and national universities and institutes of technology, assisting in the design and provision of courses, and providing internships and permanent employment opportunities for students. To coincide with Allergan’s 40th anniversary, the company has announced a new annual €50,000 Innovation Award Programme.The inaugural Allergan Innovation Award Programme will partner with six colleges around Ireland, to recognise and support scholars who have excelled through innovative research in the field of life sciences. The six colleges involved in this year’s Innovation Award Programme are Trinity College Dublin, UCD, NUI Galway, IT Sligo, DCU, and Galway-Mayo IT.
