Pharmaceutical company Astellas Ireland is to expand its biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility at the Kerry Technology Park in Tralee, Co Kerry.
The company said the project will double drug product manufacturing capacity at the Tralee facility and create new highly skilled roles across engineering, production, quality, logistics and support functions by 2029.
This follows the company’s previously announced €330m investment in a new biopharmaceutical facility and second Kerry facility in 2023. The new Kerry facility is scheduled to officially open early next year.
Astellas said the investment announced today will support the installation of a second aseptic filling line and associated manufacturing infrastructure.
This project is supported by IDA Ireland.
The Tralee facility will manufacture medicines for global markets and is designed to support additional products from the company’s development pipeline as they progress towards commercialisation.
Tetsuya Kawasko-San, Global Head of Pharma Manufacturing, President of Astellas Ireland, said the company has a proud and long-established presence in Ireland, with its operations supporting the reliable supply of medicines to patients around the world.
“The continued development of our Tralee facility reflects our confidence in Ireland, in the region and in the talented people who will bring this state-of-the-art facility to life,” he said.
“This expansion is a planned continuation of our original investment in Tralee. It enables us to build additional capability into the facility in a phased and disciplined way, responding to an evolving portfolio and patient needs while making the best use of the infrastructure already being developed,” he added.
Mary Buckley, Executive Director at IDA Ireland, said the decision by Astellas to expand its new biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Tralee is a strong endorsement of the country’s position as a leading location for advanced life sciences and of the talent and partnership available in the South West region.
“Building on the company’s €330m commitment to the site, this additional investment will create further highly skilled roles in Kerry and strengthen Astellas; capacity to supply medicines for global markets,” she added.
Minister For Enterprise Tourism and Employment Peter Burke said the company’s decision to further expand its Tralee facility is a strong endorsement of Kerry’s growing role in Ireland’s life sciences ecosystem.
“This investment demonstrates how regional locations can successfully attract and support complex, high-value manufacturing operations. As Astellas continues to scale its presence in Tralee, this expansion will create additional highly skilled career opportunities and further strengthen the South-West’s reputation as a location of choice for international investment and advanced manufacturing,” he added.
Minister For Children, Disability and Equality Norma Foley said that Astellas has been an extraordinary success story for Co Kerry.
“Building on the strong track record and excellence of the Killorglin facility, this new development in Tralee is a gamechanger for our capital town and the entire South West region. The doubling of drug product manufacturing capacity in the Tralee facility and the additional employment it brings is a very significant uplift to the local economy and community,” she added.
