By Business & Finance 
Takeda Ireland officially opened a new cutting-edge manufacturing facility and announced a new €30m investment at Grange Castle site.
Takeda Ireland, a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd, officially opened a new cutting-edge manufacturing facility at its site at Grange Castle on 5th July 2019.
Marking the event, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty, Takeda Pharmaceutical CEO Christophe Weber, H.E. Mrs. Mari Miyoshi, Japanese Ambassador to Ireland and Mary Buckley, Executive Director, IDA Ireland, joined 200 guests and staff for the opening celebration.
In addition to the grand opening, Takeda also used the opportunity to introduce another project in Grange Castle to the public. The company plans to invest around €30m into a regenerative medicine facility at its site in Grange Castle, which will be the first commercial scale cell therapy production facility in Ireland. This innovative facility will cover all steps of the cell therapy production process from receipt of donor material to fill finish, packaging and shipment off site to the patient.
In addition to their oncology treatments, Takeda Ireland produces APIs for the treatment of Diabetes, Oncology, Insomnia, Weight loss, Acid related disease, Bipolar disorder and Hypertension.
Construction of the state of the art production facility dedicated to the manufacturing of their oncology treatment began in June 2017 and was managed by Project Management Group. A total of 40 jobs will be created at the site. The plant is the first Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) manufacturing operation to be located outside of Japan for Takeda and houses all steps of the production process including API, drug product and primary and secondary packaging for supply to global markets. The Takeda Grange Castle plant currently employs over 80 people, all of whom are trained in the latest manufacturing techniques, to ensure operational excellence.
Commenting on the opening event, Takeda Pharmaceutical CEO Christophe Weber said:
We have built up a strong foundation in Ireland over the past 17 years, and this new plant in Grange Castle is an important strategic site for us, as it is not only the first overseas manufacturing centre for APIs outside of Japan, but it houses all the steps of the production process. We are excited to take this next step and continue to deliver our medicines to patients around the world and concentrate our efforts on breakthrough innovations. I would like to thank our employees and stakeholders, as well as the IDA, for their support throughout the entire process.”
In honour of the Japanese origins of the company and their continued investment in Ireland, Ambassador of Japan to Ireland, H.E. Mrs. Mari Miyoshi, unveiled a symbolic wooden sun dial at the event. Guests in attendance also had the opportunity to engage with interactive booths which highlight the innovative technology of Takeda.
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