Anton McNulty
TWENTY new jobs are to be created in Westport after the Allergan facility in the town was chosen to manufacture its newest medical technology, SeriScaffold.
The preparation for the transfer of the manufacturing process will commence in 2011 and represents a $10 million investment in the Westport site. Full commercial production will relocated to Ireland from Boston in late 2013 with the creation of approximately 20 new jobs.
SeriScaffold is a bioresorbable silk-based surgical scaffold for use in tissue generation in numerous therapeutic areas, including breast reconstruction. Allergan acquired SeriScaffold as part of its strategic purchase of Serica Technologies, based in Medford Massachusetts, in 2010.
Allergan Pharmaceuticals in Ireland currently employs approximately 860 people at its manufacturing facility in Westport and at its European Support Centre in Dublin. The Westport Site has two plants – a Sterile Pharmaceutical Ophthalmic plant and a Biologics plant and supplies a wide range of sterile products to a global market.
Commenting on today’s (Tuesday) announcement, Mr Pat O’Donnell, Vice President and Managing Director of Allergan Pharmaceuticals Ireland said that Allergan were pleased to continue to invest in Ireland.
“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. We are pleased to be continuing our track record of significant investment into Ireland as we develop and commercialise new products and technologies.
“The SeriScaffold is an exciting new technology that has a number of potential uses including the generation of functional connective tissue following many forms of breast surgery including mastectomy and reconstruction,” he said.
Westport TD, Michael Ring welcomed the news and wished the company and the staff well in the future.
“I warmly welcome this announcement by Allergan that it is to create twenty new jobs. Allergan has been an outstanding success since it first came to Westport. They provide huge employment for the town and surrounding hinterland. This is further good news for Allergan and indeed Westport and the surrounding areas,” he said.
Allergan is one of the world’s leading companies in Medical Aesthetics, with market leading breast implants such as the NATRELLE Collection and the CUI range currently used for breast enhancement and reconstruction surgery.
