Astellas is strengthening its significant presence in Ireland with a substantial investment of 330 million euros ($354 million) in a new manufacturing facility set to be located in the Kerry Technology Park in Tralee. Conditional on receiving planning permissions, construction is scheduled to commence in 2024, with operations expected to commence by 2028. This new facility will mark Astellas’ third manufacturing plant in Ireland and its second in County Kerry.
While Astellas provided limited details about the specific products to be manufactured at this site, the company’s announcement mentioned that the project will expand its capacity for producing “aseptic drug products” and expedite the development and commercialization of innovative antibody drugs and other novel products.
The forthcoming plant is anticipated to generate “upwards of 100 high-end jobs,” according to reports from The Irish Times. Astellas’ Chief Manufacturing Officer, Hideki Shima, expressed the company’s goals, stating, “With the new facility, Astellas will aim to strengthen our in-house production capacity and capabilities and ensure a stable supply of high-quality Astellasā medicines to patients around the world.” The three-story facility will encompass a substantial 17,000 square meters (approximately 183,000 square feet) of floor space and will be situated on a 45-acre plot of land.
Astellas is already a significant employer in Ireland, with over 400 employees in its ranks. This includes 250 individuals working at a well-established manufacturing site in Killorglin, situated 30 miles north of Tralee. Additionally, the company maintains an active pharmaceutical product facility in the Damastown Industrial Park in Dublin, which has been operational for 35 years. In May of the current year, Astellas announced the sale of its manufacturing site in Meppel, Netherlands, to the French Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) Delpharm Industries. This facility specializes in the production of tablets, capsules, and granule medicines and employs 332 individuals.
