Amgen to invest over $1bn in Ireland and UK

Amgen is to invest more than $1 billion in a site in Cork and will build a new development site in Uxbridge.

The company expects to employ over 1,100 people at the facilities in Cork by the end of the decade and they will start to be operational in 2009.

Amgen senior vice president Fabrizio Bonanni said: “As demand for our products grows in Europe, Amgen requires capacity closer to this important market.

“The company considered several attractive sites in other countries and chose Ireland due to its thriving biotechnology community, infrastructure to support biologics manufacturing, emphasis on education, and attractive business climate, as well as the support we received from the Irish government and IDA Ireland [Industrial Development Agency Ireland].”

He added: “Our new facilities in Cork will enhance our ability to deliver on Amgen’s robust pipeline.”

Amgen also announced that it intends to expand its existing research and development operations in the US and Cambridge and to build a new development centre in Uxbridge.

Roger Perlmutter, Amgen executive vice president, said: “This significant, long-term investment in our global R&D infrastructure underscores the commitment of Amgen to be the world’s best human therapeutics company.

“In particular, our growth in clinical development at Amgen San Francisco and Uxbridge, UK, will provide the capability to deliver on the promise of our extraordinary pipeline.”

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