EirGen Pharma has acquired a new building in the IDA Industrial Estate in Waterford which will facilitate an expansion of its Oral Solid Dose manufacturing and packaging capabilities. The new facility will provide an additional 3,500m² of state-of-the-art manufacturing and packaging capabilities for its global customer base.
 
An Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Leo Varadkar welcomed the news, saying: “Congratulations to Eirgen on this significant expansion which will amount to a €12m investment in Waterford. This decision really reinforces the company’s commitment to Waterford and is a testament to the local team and talent pool we have in the South East.”
 
CEO Damien Burke stated “The acquisition of this building and adjoining 1.2-hectare site strategically positions the business for sustained growth over the next ten years. It also represents a significant vote of confidence by the OPKO board in the capability of our employees, our leadership team in EirGen and Waterford as a locality to expand our business. This expansion will see up to €12 million invested locally throughout the construction phase in 2022/2023.
 
This expansion has been planned since summer 2021, when EirGen Pharma agreed to sell its Sterile Fill Finish capability to Horizon Therapeutics plc. Within the sale was the Sterile Fill Finish technology and the EirGen Pharma Building at Butlerstown, Waterford.
 
At the time EirGen Pharma’s parent company OPKO Health committed to investing in the growth and development of its core EirGen business in Waterford, consisting of Oral Solid Dose technology for R&D and Commercial supply to global markets from Waterford City.
 
EirGen has and will continue to be supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland. IDA Ireland CEO Martin Shanahan said:

“This site and building acquisition by EirGen marks a significant milestone in the company’s evolution and growth in Waterford. It has, with this development, strongly endorsed Waterford and the South East Region as an excellent location for its continued development and future growth.”

 
EirGen Pharma develops and supplies high potency specialty care medicines to patients in more than fifty countries worldwide. It was established in 2005 and has been part of OPKO Health since 2015.
 
Construction and fit out will commence in Q3 2022 with commercial operations starting in Q1 2024.