Alexion Pharmaceuticals has announced an additional €100 million investment in an expansion of its Monksland operations which will result in the creation of 50 additional jobs bringing total employment at the facility to greater than 100 people.
The investment will see the construction of a new biologics manufacturing facility at the site.
“Alexion is delighted to announce this additional expansion to our existing (Monksland) Athlone site as we deliver upon our mission to transform the lives of patients with ultra-rare diseases,” said Julie
O’Neill, Executive Vice President, Global Operations, at Alexion. “Ireland is a key location for
Alexion’s global operations and we are committed to further developing our manufacturing
facilities in the country to support increasing production needs of our highly innovative and life transforming therapies.”
“This additional investment also demonstrates our commitment to job growth in Ireland and the
Athlone region, as we look to hire the best talent locally as part of this site expansion,” said
Grainne McAleese, General Manager, Alexion Ireland. “Alexion is at the forefront of innovation
and all our staff are passionate about our commitment to the patients we serve. We already
have a well-established presence in Athlone since 2013, with a great local workforce, and we
are very firmly committed to this region going forward. We are establishing collaborations with
local schools and institutes of technology and will be offering excellent career opportunities for
people in the area.”
Local Minister Denis Naughten has welcomed the announcement saying
“What is even more positive is the fact that the company is determined to try to recruit staff locally and will even provide the required training in Athlone IT to assist local people in filling these roles.”
“Alexion’s work focuses on developing therapies for patients with rare disorders and confirmation that the company will collaborate with local schools and the institute of technology will undoubtedly open up new career opportunities locally.
“Monksland is fast becoming the biopharma centre of the country and it is now important that we build on this expertise to attract further investment into other local towns,” added Minister Naughten.
Welcoming the news Senator Maura Hopkins said:
“This is a positive development for the Monksland and the South Roscommon region, the benefit of this development on the wider economy cannot be underestimated.”
Local Fianna Fáil TD Eugene Murphy said
“This investment by Alexion demonstrates a strong commitment to the region and grows the Pharma hub which has developed in Monksland over the past number of years and I look forward to seeing these jobs realised in the near future.”
“This announcement really strengthens Alexion’s continued commitment to Ireland and Athlone since they were first established in the area in 2014 and I am delighted that this new level of investment will result in 50 new jobs and bring total employment at the facility to more than 100 people- it’s a good news story for Athlone and surrounding areas as many people from County Roscommon are already employed at the facility and hopefully this investment will also result in more employment opportunities for people in the Roscommon area,” said Deputy Murphy.
€600 million invested in Ireland
Alexion is also currently constructing a large-scale bulk biologics manufacturing facility at its Dublin site in College Park. Between its facilities in Athlone and College Park, Alexion currently employs over 250 people in Ireland, and expects to continue to grow to almost 500 employees by the end of 2019. Alexion has announced investments totalling €600 million in Ireland since 2014.