SOARING DEMAND worldwide for Botox products is boosting the economy of Westport, Co Mayo, where 200 new jobs were announced yesterday as a result of a $350 million (€275 million) investment by US medical device maker Allergan.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny described the expansion plans as a “fantastic vote of confidence” by the company, not alone in Mayo and Westport, but in Ireland.
Allergan now employs approximately 10,000 people worldwide.
The company’s payroll in Ireland will top the 1,000 mark when its expansion programme in Westport is completed.
Space for the latest expansion has been made available through the company’s acquisition of the Technology Park next to the current Allergan site.
Two hundred new jobs will be created at the site over the next four years, while an estimated 250 indirect jobs will be supported during the construction.
The investment will primarily enable Allergan to expand its manufacturing capability for Botox (botulinum toxin type A) and to develop a manufacturing base for the next generation of biologic products currently in the pipeline, according to Pat O’Donnell, managing director of Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland.
Botox is already a $1.5 billion-a-year product and approval for its use in treating migraine headaches and overactive bladders is expected to provide growth in sales of the drug.
“Based on Allergan’s present strategic plans, we anticipate that demand for Botox will continue to grow, fuelled by recent approvals of the product,” said Mr O’Donnell.
Welcoming the announcement, Mr Kenny said: “This news will breathe new life and hope into an area that has become more accustomed to negative economic news in recent times.
“I know that Allergan’s products for example help millions of patients see more clearly, move more freely and express themselves more fully.”
Medical and pharmaceutical related exports were worth about €43.2 billion to the Irish economy last year, nearly half of all exports, and the sector employs tens of thousands across the country.
Eight of the world’s 10 biggest drug companies have manufacturing facilities in Ireland.
Departing from his prepared script, the Taoiseach pledged there would be no increase in this country’s 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate for multinational companies.
Mayo county manager Peter Hynes summed up the general feeling of elation locally at yesterday’s jobs announcement: “The news is beyond fantastic,” he said.
“It puts the local economy spinning into another orbit entirely.” – (Additional reporting Reuters)
