Pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb is to invest $400 million (€370m) to build a sterile drug product (SDP) facility at its Dublin campus, creating 350 jobs.
The new facility at Cruiserath in Dublin 15, which will be the company’s first European biologics sterile drug product facility, will support the manufacturing of existing medicines in addition to supporting future drugs. The new roles will bring the total number of staff employed directly by Bristol Myers Squibb at the campus to more than 1,000.
“This is significant news and a proud day at Cruiserath Biologics as this SDP facility strengthens not only our capabilities on campus, but allows us to be agile and responsive to patient needs across the globe. This investment will expand our capacity for aseptic drug products, reinforce stable production for global supply and accelerate the development and commercialisation of innovative biologic therapies alongside other pipeline medicines,” said Padraig Keane, vice-president at Cruiserath Biologics. “Across our three sites in Ireland we continue to play a critical role in the global production, development, and supply network.”
Construction is expected to begin next month, with a view to completing it in 2026. Once finished it will mark a significant expansion in the Cruiserath facility’s manufacturing and laboratory capacity.
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“The Cruiserath Biologics site will continue to play a crucial role in our company’s success moving forward. Coupled with the breadth of knowledge and expertise of our employees, this sterile drug product site, co-partnered alongside our biologics facility, will allow us to further enhance our operations as we strive to get more medicines to more patients faster,” said Karin Shanahan, who leads the company’s global manufacturing network.
IDA chief executive Michael Lohan said the investment underscored the importance of Ireland in the company’s global operations.
The investment comes as a further boost to the sector after a number of high profile investments here by major pharma companies, indicating that Ireland could become a hub for pharma companies.
In December 2022 Pfizer said it would invest $1 billion to expand its Grange Castle plant in Dublin, adding up to 500 jobs as a result. It followed up with a further 230 jobs at Grange Castle and Ringaskiddy in Co Cork, announced last November. But there was a sting in the tail; the company said it would also cut 100 jobs at its Co Kildare operations.
Pfizer is not the only company investing in recent years. In 2022 global Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas said it would invest more than €330 million in a new facility on a 45-acre site in Tralee, Co Kerry.
In September that year AbbVie said it would invest €60 million and create 70 new jobs at its facility in Cork to support the company’s aesthetics business.
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