Local pharmaceutical company PPD has announced plans to add approximately 50 new jobs as part of the expansion of its operations in Athlone.
A statement from the company last Thursday revealed that the company will employ almost 200 people once the expansion is complete at its facility in the IDA’s Business and Technology Park in Garrycastle.
In line with the expansion of its laboratory operations, an additional 400sqm of new laboratory space has been added for analytical testing of biopharmaceutical products and inhalation devices, making the lab one of the largest of its kind in Europe. The Athlone GMP facility now totals more than 3,800sqm of analytical testing and support space.
The company said the decision was taken as part of its ongoing efforts to meet clients’ capacity needs.
“The expansion of the Athlone GMP lab represents our ongoing investment in the continued growth of our contract research operations in Ireland and around the world to provide our clients with best-in-class laboratory services and state-of-the-art facilities and instrumentation,” said David Johnston, executive vice president of global laboratory services for PPD Laboratories.
PPD’s Athlone GMP (good manufacturing practices ) lab provides analytical testing services, method development and validation, stability testing, and quality control and release testing, as well as regulatory services, product licensing, and marketed product support.
PPD opened its Athlone laboratory in 2010. The company maintains another GMP lab in Middleton, Wisconsin, employing more than 1,300 people globally.
Welcoming the expansion, IDA Ireland’s head of life sciences Barry Heavey said: “PPD’s expansion of its GMP operations in Athlone is warmly welcomed by IDA Ireland and adds to the continued growth of life sciences in the Midlands. This is another important investment for a regional location, and IDA looks forward to working with PPD to ensure continued success and development.”
