The new API manufacturing facility for small molecules will be constructed at the Alexion Campus in College Park near Dublin
The new API manufacturing facility for small molecules will be constructed near Dublin. (Credit: AstraZeneca)
Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is set to invest $360m to build a next-generation active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in Ireland.
The new API manufacturing facility for small molecules will be constructed at the Alexion Campus in College Park near Dublin, thereby making the firm’s global supply network ready to meet future growth.
By adopting the latest process technology and digital innovation, the new manufacturing plant will facilitate late-stage development and early commercial supply.
Dublin facility is anticipated to create up to 100 skilled direct jobs, including scientists and engineers, as well as further indirect employment.
AstraZeneca global operations and IT executive vice president Pam Cheng said: “The future manufacturing of APIs for our medicines includes compounds with highly complex synthesis, requiring next-generation technologies and capabilities that can respond quickly and nimbly to rapidly-changing clinical and commercial needs.”
The facility’s future-proof design will also enable to add more capabilities to produce a wide range of medicines, including new modalities such as antibody-drug conjugates and oligonucleotides.
AstraZeneca stated that the investment programme is expected to significantly minimise commercialisation lead times costs and launch more sustainable manufacturing processes, benefitting the firm’s Ambition Zero Carbon programme.
AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot said: “This is a tremendously proud moment for us all at AstraZeneca and I am delighted that we are bringing this very significant investment to Dublin which, with the support of the IDA, will create highly skilled jobs, nurture the country’s dynamic life sciences sector and allow for the development of high value-added medicines.”
In July this year, AstraZeneca collaborated with Regeneron to research, develop and commercialise small molecule therapies to target the GPR75 gene, which can treat obesity and related co-morbidities.