AbbVie officially opens expanded production site in Sligo

AbbVie has announced the official opening of its newly-expanded manufacturing facility in Sligo, Ireland in an event attended by Irish prime minister Enda Kenny.

This represents the culmination of a redevelopment process commenced in 2012. The company has spent around 85 million euros (68.89 million pounds) on expanding the site, resulting in the creation of up to 175 highly skilled jobs in the area.

It will now offer increased manufacturing capacity to deliver on AbbVie's existing portfolio of medicines, as well as to support potential new therapies within the firm's pipeline, including its new all-oral interferon-free regimen for hepatitis C.

AbbVie employs more than 400 personnel in Ireland across its locations in Dublin and Cork, plus its two plants in Sligo.

Dr Azita Saleki-Gerhardt, senior vice-president of operations at AbbVie, said: "This investment represents our ongoing commitment to Sligo and Ireland as an important part of AbbVie's biopharmaceutical manufacturing strategy."

During the first quarter of 2014, the company's revenues came to $4.56 billion (2.71 billion pounds), up by 5.4 percent year on year.