From left: EirGen Pharma CEO Damien Burke, head of talent and organisational development Ann Marie Slattery and head of engineering James Murphy. Image: Patrick Browne
The company’s CEO said the new manufacturing and packaging facility will position it for ‘sustained growth’ over the next 10 years.
EirGen Pharma has acquired a new building to expand its oral solid dose operations in Waterford, with plans to invest €12m over the coming years.
The new facility will provide an additional 3,500 sq m of space to expand EirGen’s manufacturing and packaging capabilities for its global customer base. The building is in the IDA Ireland industrial estate in Waterford.
Speaking about the expansion, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar, TD, said: “This decision really reinforces the company’s commitment to Waterford and is a testament to the local team and talent pool we have in the south-east.”
EirGen said the expansion has been planned since last year, when the pharma company agreed to sell one of its Waterford facilities to biotech company Horizon Therapeutics.
EirGen’s parent company, OPKO Health, now plans to invest in the development of its core EirGen business in Waterford, which consists of oral solid dose technology for R&D and commercial supply to global markets.
EirGen Pharma CEO Damien Burke said the acquisition of this new building and an adjoining 1.2 hectare site “strategically positions the business” for sustained growth over the next decade.
“It also represents a significant vote of confidence by the OPKO board in the capability of our employees, our leadership team in EirGen and Waterford as a locality to expand our business,” Burke said.
Construction and fit-out at the new facility is expected to begin later this year, with commercial operations planned for the start of 2024. EirGen’s expansion is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland.
“This site and building acquisition by EirGen marks a significant milestone in the company’s evolution and growth in Waterford,” IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said. “It has, with this development, strongly endorsed Waterford and the south-east region as an excellent location for its continued development and future growth.”
EirGen Pharma was established in 2005 and has been part of OPKO Health since 2015. It develops and supplies specialty care medicines to patients in more than 50 countries worldwide.
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