By Business & Finance Bristol-Myers Squibb today announced plans to construct a new state-of-the-art, large-scale biologics manufacturing facility in Cruiserath, Co. Dublin that will produce multiple therapies for the company’s growing biologics portfolio.
Once completed, the new facility will significantly increase Bristol-Myers Squibb’s biologics manufacturing capacity and play a central role in its global manufacturing network.
Approximately 350 to 400 scientists, engineers, bioprocess operators, quality specialists and other skilled professionals are expected to work at the facility when construction is completed, and the construction programme is expected to create about 1,000 jobs. The completion of the facility, including commissioning and validation, is anticipated to take approximately four years and is estimated to be operational in 2019.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has a robust and growing portfolio of approved and investigational biologic medicines across multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, virology and immunoscience. Biologic medicines are an increasingly important tool in the treatment of serious diseases and comprise more than half of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s research and development pipeline.
“Our investment in this new facility reflects the strength of our business and the increasingly important role that biologic medicines will play in Bristol-Myers Squibb’s future,” said Lamberto Andreotti, CEO of Bristol-Myers Squibb. “For 50 years, Bristol-Myers Squibb has maintained a significant manufacturing presence in Ireland, and we look forward to building on that legacy through this significant expansion of our manufacturing capability.”
“I greatly welcome this investment by Bristol-Myers Squibb, which is a huge boost to the Irish economy,” said An Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD, this morning. “I had the opportunity to meet with Bristol-Myers Squibb, and I’m delighted they chose Ireland as the location for this large, state-of-the-art facility. Not only will 1,000 construction jobs be created in the initial phase, but the facility will support up to 400 jobs for skilled professionals. The government has a plan to secure recovery so that Ireland can attract new jobs and investments such as those being announced today.”
“Ireland’s pharmaceutical industry is one of the country’s strongest sectors and when this expansion is complete, will represent a huge boost to Ireland’s overall portfolio,” said Martin Shanahan, CEO of the IDA. “This facility will be the second biggest investment won by IDA’s life sciences division and is a major vote of confidence in Ireland’s ability to win large-scale capital investment projects. The planned facility from Bristol-Myers Squibb will be dedicated to the production of biologic medicines, an area Ireland now excels in. The availability of highly trained staff is vital to this growth, and Ireland has a dedicated centre addressing this need – NIBRT (National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training), which provides training to over 2,000 people a year.”
