BioMarin will expand its Shanbally operation to include drug product filling capabilities, taking on 51 new hires in the process.
American biotech multinational BioMarin has announced that it will expand the Cork arm of its European operations to include drug product filling capabilities. In order to facilitate this expansion in Shanbally, it will take on 51 new hires across a variety of disciplines.
The project will allow BioMarin to rise to the increased demand for its therapies, which primarily treat rare diseases affecting children.
The announcement was welcomed by An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Coveney, TD, who said: “Today’s announcement is an exciting development for BioMarin, a company which has thrived in the Cork biopharmaceutical cluster.
“This investment will not only bring opportunities for regional employment but also positive knock-on effects for the local economy.”
The expansion is estimated to cost $43m. As well as the 51 new hires, it is expected that there will be 100 personnel on site throughout the construction of the new facilities.
“The introduction of fill-finish capacity at Shanbally provides for fully integrated manufacturing, from bulk to drug product on-site,” said BioMarin’s executive vice-president Robert Baffi.
“During our seven years of operations at Shanbally, we have seen tremendous growth at the site. This expansion assures that an increasing amount of our commercial products will be manufactured [there].”
Since the campus first opened its doors in 2011, BioMarin’s presence in Cork has grown to just over 350 employees with an additional 55 people based in Dublin and more than 2,600 employees globally.
It focuses on developing therapeutics to improve clinical outcomes of patients with rare genetic diseases. The company currently has seven approved products that are the only drugs available on the market today for the diseases they treat.
This, along with the news of Danske Bank’s new customer centre to be based in Derry and the staggering 400 new roles in Belfast from PA Consulting, sets September up well to be a great month for jobs creation.
