Eli Lilly invests €35m in Kinsale

US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly is to invest €35m in a new hi-tech manufacturing facility at its Kinsale campus in County Cork.

The facility is expected to be fully operational by early 2017 and has the potential to “transform how medicines are made in the future”, according to the Indiana headquartered firm.

The development will also see the Kinsale site become Eli Lilly’s centre of excellence for continuous manufacturing for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) worldwide.

Eli Lilly Kinsale general manager Chris Langan said the major capital investment offers significant new opportunities for the Cork site.

“Building on the strong technical capability already in place in Kinsale, the team is highly motivated to undertake this project as it offers a significant new opportunity for the site,” said Mr Langan. “The company is amongst the industry leaders in the development of this technology, and it is an exciting project for everyone involved here at the site.”

It is understood the announcement, which was made by company chairman, president, and chief executive John C Lechleiter, will not result in any new jobs at the plant.

The project will apply so-called continuous manufacturing technology to carry out the development and commercialisation of a number of Eli Lilly’s small molecule pipeline products that are currently undergoing late-stage clinical trials.

IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan heralded the investment as an endorsement of the country’s highly educated workforce and Ireland’s reputation as one of the world’s premier pharma bases.

“Pharmaceutical companies such as Lilly continue to choose Ireland for a number of reasons,” said Mr Shanahan. “One of the main reasons is the world-class pharma infrastructure and skilled workforce in Ireland. This investment demonstrates Lilly’s enduring commitment to Ireland. It also further illustrates Ireland’s position as a leading location for the development and manufacture of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceuticals medicines.”

The US giant first established operations in Ireland more than 35 years ago and currently employs approximately 1,000 staff at three locations in Kinsale, Cork City, and Dublin.

The company’s Irish employees work across a range of business functions.