Alkermes launches in Dublin and signs manufacturing deal
Agreement will generate US$15-$20m by 2016
Alkermes plc, formed in May following the merger of Alkermes and Elan Corporation’s drug and formulation manufacturing unit, has established its corporate operations in Ireland, with new headquarters located in Dublin.
The company, including its headquarters and operations in Athlone, County Westmeath, employs more than 450 people in Ireland and more than 1,200 staff worldwide.
The creation of Alkermes plc will ‘bring the scale and resources for strategic and balanced investment across the whole product continuum, from r&d innovation to clinical development, to world-class manufacturing and commercial expansion,’ according to chief executive Richard Pops.
Marking its first day of operations in Ireland, Alkermes plc has announced a multi-year, multi-million dollar manufacturing agreement with one of the world’s top ten pharmaceutical companies, in which Alkermes plc will manufacture the company’s finished pharmaceutical product in Athlone.
Alkermes plc expects this agreement to generate US$15–$20m in annual manufacturing revenues by 2016.
The Athlone facility is one of three major manufacturing plants owned by Alkermes at which the company produces proprietary, partnered and contract-manufactured drug products.
John Perry, the Irish Minister of State for Small Business, said Alkermes’ decision to establish its headquarters in Ireland ‘is further demonstration of this country’s continued ability to attract companies.’
The announcement of a new contract for the Athlone facility ‘is an indication of its track record for successful innovation and high-quality manufacturing’.
Pops said he viewed Ireland ‘as a gateway to the European Union and global pharmaceutical market’.