02/12/2003

US pharmaceutical company to invest £5m in new Carrick plant

A leading US pharmaceutical company is to invest over £5 million to set up a manufacturing facility in Carrickfergus, it was announced today.

The investment by Kiel Laboratories Inc is expected to create up to 100 jobs over the next three years.

The focus of the new manufacturing facility will be utilisation of the patent-pending 'Tannate Conversion Technology' (TCT™) to manufacture extended-release prescription products for the treatment of coughs, colds and allergies.

Commenting on the Invest NI backed investment, Enterprise Minister, Ian Pearson said: “Kiel Laboratories is a young, dynamic, fast growing company that has benefited from its focus on research and development. The transfer of this unique technology to Carrickfergus and the potential for future collaboration between Kiel Laboratories and our local universities makes this an exciting project for Northern Ireland.

“This investment is a boost to Carrickfergus and to Northern Ireland as a whole. It will strengthen our healthcare and biotechnology sector, a priority sector for Invest NI, and one that has huge potential for wealth creation."

Dr Jeffrey S. Kiel, Founder and President of Kiel Laboratories, Inc., added: “We’ve been considering establishing a European presence for a number of years, and the success of our TCT products has added to our need for additional manufacturing capacity.

“After exploring a number of locations, we chose Northern Ireland because of the ability to attract and retain high calibre employees, the potential for collaboration with the local universities, the very favorable pharmaceutical regulatory environment in the UK, and the support available from Invest NI."

The Northern Ireland company will trade under the name of Kiel Pharma Ltd as a wholly owned subsidiary of Kiel Laboratories Inc., which is based in Georgia in the US.

(MB)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

22 February 2016
Lagan Engineering To Create 16 New Jobs
Cookstown based firm Lagan Engineering to to create 16 new jobs. Invest Northern Ireland has offered the company assistance of £134,250. The firm designs and manufactures custom-built products for the sand, quarry, waste and recycling industries. Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell welcomed the announcement.
16 December 2015
Manufacturing Firm to Create 80 New Jobs
A manufacturing firm in Northern Ireland has announced it is to create 80 new jobs. The new posts at the Hutchinson Group are part of a £4.1 million investment and will be based at its sites in Kilrea and Antrim.
20 February 2015
SlurryKat Announces Job Expansion
Twelve new jobs are to be created by Waringstown-based company, SlurryKat. The firm, which designs, manufactures and exports agri-equipment for the management of farm slurry, has said it will recruit additional management and production staff to help drive growth in international markets.
28 January 2010
Derry Gets Major Seagate Investment
It has just been announced that a package of investments totalling approximately £60m is to be made in Londonderry. Centred on its plant at Springtown, Seagate Technology's investment of £47.3m will be enhanced with grants totalling £12.7m from Invest Northern Ireland.
15 September 2014
Clonallon Laboratories Secures Middle East Deal
Clonallon Laboratories Ltd, a medical supply company based in Warrenpoint, has secured its first major deal in the Middle East. The company, which supplies custom sterile procedure packs, surgical instruments and medical supplies to the healthcare industry, won the contract to supply £250,000 worth of procedure packs in Kuwait.