Ireland Picked for Lilly Cell Therapy Plant

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--U.S. pharmaceutical major Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) has revealed plans to invest 400 million euro (US$451 million) in a new cell therapy manufacturing plant in County Limerick, Ireland.

The project, subject to approval, will create more than 300 new jobs for "highly skilled workers such as engineers, scientists and operations personnel" at the Raheen Business Park. It will involve the construction of multiple buildings to host process and supporting equipment for the research, development and production of biopharmaceutical cell products. An additional 500 jobs will be created during the construction phase. Industrial Info is tracking all associated projects and the goal is to commission the plant in 2026.

"Over the past 40 years, we have continued to invest in Ireland in part because of supportive government policies that value life science innovation," said Edgardo Hernandez, senior vice president and president, Lilly Manufacturing Operations. "This new Lilly campus in Limerick will allow us to expand our capacity to make innovative new medicines that can help treat some of the world's most serious illnesses. This facility will use the latest technology to support advancements in science, productivity and sustainability, further establishing Lilly as a global manufacturing leader."

Ireland's Tánaiste (deputy leader) and Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Leo Varadkar TD added: "This is fantastic news for Limerick and indeed the entire region. The midwest has become a real hub for leading bio-pharma companies such as Lilly and I'm really pleased that the company has chosen Limerick for its new manufacturing centre, investing over 400 million euro and creating 300 new, permanent jobs and a further 500 jobs during construction. Lilly produces crucial healthcare products which are making a huge difference to the lives of patients around the world fighting some of the world's most serious illnesses. This new manufacturing centre is a significant expansion of that work and I wish the entire team the very best with the project."

Lilly employs almost 2,000 people in its Irish operations, with an additional 500 outsourced and contract staff involved. The company's first site in Kinsale, County Cork, has grown to a high-technology manufacturing campus that employs more than 900 people making active ingredients for Lilly medicines. More recently, the site has become a centre for synthetic small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) commercialisation. Over the past decade, Lilly has invested more than 800 million euro (US$902 million) making Kinsale the main centre for the manufacture and supply of active ingredients for its new biopharmaceutical medicines.

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