New Allergan investment to create 63 jobs at Mayo plant

ALLERGAN Pharmaceutical is to invest €65 million in its Irish operations and will create 63 new jobs at its plant in Westport, it has been announced this morning.

The investment will bring the number of Allergan staff in Ireland to over 2,000.

Allergan's Westport is the largest and most complex in the company's global network - it also has two operations in Dublin and one in Galway.

Paul Coffey, vice-president and general manager of the Westport facility, said continued investment of this scale builds on the €50 million investment in 2018 and €43 million in 2017, allowing the firm to apply world class technology to Allergan's innovation and product development strategy.

"We are proud that 40 years on we are stlll growing and offering valued employment opportunities in key regions in Ireland," he added.

Martin Shanahan, the chief executive of IDA Ireland, said Allergan's commitment to Ireland has been exemplary.

The Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys, said Allergan's decision to grow its operations in the west of Ireland shows the government has succeeded in attracting high calibre companies and highly skilled jobs to the region.

The €65 funding will also see investment in the firm's facility in Clonshaugh, Dublin, where two manufacturing facilities and the company's Irish head office are based.

It is understood the announcement will end ongoing speculation that the company was considering expanding its operations with a second plant in the county outside of Westport.