Eli Lilly to invest €400m at existing site in Kinsale

Biopharmaceuticals company Eli Lilly has unveiled plans to invest up to €400 million in a multi phase program to establish a manufacturing facility at its existing site in Dunderrow, Kinsale, Co Cork.

The investment, supported by IDA Ireland, is expected to create a total of 200 jobs over the next five years.

The new Biopharmaceuticals facility will produce medicines to treat illnesses including cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers disease in a new building.

Lilly established the site in Kinsale, Co Cork in 1981 and currently employs more than 400 people there. The facility manufactures the active ingredients for a number of Lilly’s most important pharmaceuticals, including Zyprexa, for the treatment of Schizophrenia and Evista, for the prevention of osteoporosis.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Micheál Martin said: “Today’s announcement further strengthens Ireland’s, and in particular Cork’s, position as the number one location of choice for major biopharmaceutical activity outside the US. It is a major achievement for IDA Ireland to have won this investment against intense global competition. This win for Ireland illustrates the fact that due to investments made by this Government in the Biotechnology industry in recent years we now have the infrastructure, the people and the skills to attract this type of investment. Lilly’s Irish operation is poised to become the centre of excellence in Biopharmaceutical manufacturing technology which will represent an increasing percentage of Lilly’s medicines of the future”.

Maria Crowe, General Manager of Lilly in Dunderrow, pointed out that after 25 years of successful manufacturing in Kinsale, this significant diversification of the site into a new technology platform will allow it to develop and manufacture a new generation of products for the corporation and for patients around the world. “This is great news for the Kinsale plant,” she stated. “It underlines the confidence of the corporation in the capability and track record of our employees and will position the site very well for the future.”

Paul Ahern, Vice President of Global API Manufacturing for Eli Lilly indicated that this investment is strategically important for the corporation. "This investment is part of Lilly’s planned growth strategy and proof of our confidence in our future in the Biotechnology sector. The decision to locate this facility on our existing site at Dunderrow owes a lot to the strong performance of the site to date, the access to top quality personnel and the support of IDA Ireland."

(SP)