Global pharmaceutical company Allergan plans to spend €65 million in a capital investment programme in 2019. The investment aims to facilitate the continued expansion of the company’s laboratories and manufacturing campuses at Westport in County Mayo and Clonshaugh in north Dublin, Ireland.
Paul Coffey, Vice President and Plant General Manager, Allergan Westport, said the investment further cements Ireland’s strategic role in Allergan’s global network.
"Continued investment of this scale builds on the €50 million investment programme in 2018 and €42 million in 2017, which allows us to apply world-class technology to Allergan’s leading innovation and product development strategy," he said.
The investment in Westport focuses on four key areas; two new manufacturing suites in its biologics facility to provide the capability to introduce new product formats for one of Allergan’s flagship products and the launch of a new product currently in development, as well as the completion of a new microbiology and cell-based laboratory.
The completion of the new biologics facility, which represents a total investment of more than €140 million, is in the final stages of qualification and regulatory approval before commencing commercial production.
Coffey said Allergan is expanding capacity to meet global demand. "We are advancing our R&D capabilities to meet the needs of the future for our business. We are proud that 40 years on we are still growing and offering valuable employment opportunities in key regions of Ireland and we thank the communities around us for their continued support.”
New technology
At its ocular implant facility in Westport, Allergan is introducing automated manufacturing processes using high-end robotics. This new technology could be used to make products that have the potential to revolutionise the treatment of common eye conditions such as glaucoma.
Allergan is also upgrading its existing manufacturing capabilities and capacity for the introduction of new eye care products due to launch in the coming years.
According to IDA Ireland, the Westport facility has created 63 new highly skilled jobs, bringing total employment in Ireland to more than 2,000 across the country. One in ten employees in Allergan’s global workforce is based in Ireland.
The investment at the Clonshaugh facility in Dublin, which encompasses two manufacturing facilities and head office, will focus on expanding specialised manufacturing capability for new product development and the launch of new solid dose products currently in development.
This facility is said to play a pivotal role in the delivery of Allergan’s global “Open Science” strategy by providing the critical small-scale pilot and manufacturing capability for the company's oral solid dosage product pipeline. The Clonshaugh site currently manufactures products for the treatment of conditions including depression, irritable bowel syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and hypertension.
