AbbVie to further expand Irish manufacturing facility

AbbVie has announced that it will be further expanding its Irish medical device manufacturing facility in Ballytivnan, Sligo, with support from the country's Industrial Development Authority (IDA).

Over the next four years, a total of 50 new highly-skilled jobs will be created at the site, with the move set to bring AbbVie's total investment in Ireland to more than 134 million euros (95.22 million pounds) since 2013.

The Ballytivnan site produces drug delivery devices, including a pen-style injector that is used to administer treatments for a range of auto-immune conditions. It is AbbVie's centre of excellence for medical device manufacturing, precision engineering, plastics moulding and metrology.

AbbVie employs more than 500 people at five different sites around the country, including three manufacturing plants – two in Sligo and one in Cork.

Joe Kumor, site director at Ballytivnan for AbbVie, said: "The IDA's support allows us to build our capabilities and help ensure that patients of AbbVie medicines continue to have access to best-in-class medical devices for their treatment."

Last month, the company expanded its capabilities in the field of oncology by completing its takeover of Pharmacyclics.