Astellas is doubling down on its already significant presence in Ireland, revealing plans to invest 330 million euros ($354 million) in a new manufacturing facility in the Kerry Technology Park in Tralee.
Subject to planning permissions, construction will begin in 2024, with operations expected to kick off in 2028. It will become Astellas’ third manufacturing plant in Ireland and second in County Kerry.
The Tokyo-based company revealed little about what it plans to manufacture at the site, saying in a release that the project will increase its capacity for “aseptic drug products” and “accelerate development and commercialization of innovative antibody drugs and other new products.”
The plant will employ “upwards of 100 high-end jobs,” according to The Irish Times.
“With the new facility, Astellas will aim to strengthen our in-house production capacity and capabilities and ensure a stable supply of high-quality Astellas’ medicines to patients around the world," Hideki Shima, Astellas’ chief manufacturing officer, said in the announcement.
The three-story plant will include 17,000 square meters (183,000 square feet) of floor space and will sit on a 45-acre plot.
Astellas already employs more than 400 people in Ireland, including 250 at a 33-year-old manufacturing site in Killorglin, 30 miles north of Tralee.
The company also has a 35-year-old active pharmaceutical product facility in the Damastown Industrial Park in Dublin.
Meanwhile, in May of this year, Astellas revealed the sale of its manufacturing site in Meppel, Netherlands, to French CDMO Delpharm Industries. The plant, which produces tablets, capsules and granule medicines, employs 332 people.