Major investment by AstraZeneca in its Athlone facility
AstraZeneca is investing in its Athlone facility as part of a major scaling up of its manufacturing and R&D capability in Ireland.
The company announced a €65 million investment in new and enhanced capabilities across its sites in College Park, Blanchardstown and Monksland Industrial Park, Athlone.
The investment is in Alexion, AstraZeneca's Rare Disease Group. This is the group within AstraZeneca focused on rare diseases, created following the 2021 acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
The investment programme will centre on three investments: the installation of new drug substance production equipment and warehousing facilities to support ambient and cold storage at both sites in College Park and Athlone; and the construction of a Manufacturing Sciences & Technology Lab at College Park.
The equipment and warehouse facility in each site will expand Alexion’s drug substance production capabilities in Ireland. The Alexion Manufacturing Sciences & Technology Lab at College Park will facilitate scaling up of biologics drug substance manufacturing in Ireland.
At this stage, no details of any new jobs being created in Athlone are available.
This development programme in Ireland follows last year’s announcement to build a next generation active pharmaceutical ingredient facility at AstraZeneca’s College Park campus.
Marc Dunoyer, Chief Executive Officer, Alexion said:“We are delighted to be further investing in our facilities in Ireland, an increasingly critical global hub for AstraZeneca operations, to support the continued growth of Alexion’s portfolio of medicines and meet our needs for expansion. This investment will allow for new capabilities for AstraZeneca in Ireland and support our global ambition to accelerate the development and delivery of life-changing medicines for more people affected by rare diseases.”
Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said: “This is really fantastic news and a real boost to Ireland as a global hub for life sciences. This €65m investment by Alexion, AstraZeneca’s Rare Diseases group, is a testament to the talent and skills we have in Blanchardstown and Athlone, and will significantly expand the company’s production capabilities here.
Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation, Robert Troy said: “I am delighted that Alexion has announced further investment in its Dublin and Athlone sites. This news further cements Ireland’s reputation as a global centre of excellence for life sciences. I am particularly delighted to see continued investment in Athlone, and further endorses the midlands as an excellent place to invest, work and live.”