Medical firm to create 20 Westport jobs

US firm Allergan is creating 20 new positions in Westport after the site was chosen for the manufacture of a new product.

The company - which is a world leader in medical aesthetics - already employs 860 people in Westport and Dublin.

The company said it will manufacture of its newest medical technology, SeriScaffold, at its Mayo base.

SeriScaffold is a bioresorbable silk-based surgical scaffold for use in tissue generation in numerous therapeutic areas, including breast reconstruction.

Preparation for the transfer of the manufacturing process will commence in 2011 and represents a $10m (€7.3m) investment at the Westport site.

Full commercial production will relocate to Ireland from Boston in late 2013, creating approximately 20 new jobs at the facility.

"Westport has been chosen as the manufacturing location for this product as we can combine our state-of-the-art engineering capabilities alongside our scientific expertise," said Pat O’Donnell, Vice President and Managing Director of Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland."

"We are pleased to be continuing our track record of significant investment into Ireland as we develop and commercialise new products and technologies.”