Health-care company Nycomed Ireland is to create 150 new jobs at its plant in Carrigtohill, Co Cork, following an IDA-backed expansion plan which will see a further £10 million invested in the company.

Announcing the jobs, the Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Ms Harney, said £20 million had already been invested in the Carrigtohill facility, which currently employs 146 people, a total not expected to be achieved before next year.

Ms Harney, who left on a trade visit to Japan, Australia and New Zealand over the weekend, said the expansion proved yet again that Cork was a good location for investment and growth.

The region received a blow in recent days with the news that Apple is expected to announce up to 500 job losses at its plant in Hollyhill in Cork following the company's decision to move production of its new iMac computer to other locations.

However, Ms Harney said that projects announced for the region have the potential to create 7,000 jobs, while new and expanding companies are currently recruiting more than 1,000 people this year, which should give Cork a huge employment boost.

Nycomed Ireland was established in 1993 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nycomed Amersham which was formed following the merger of the Norwegian company, Nycomed and Amersham International, a British company.

The firm is a world leader in diagnostic imaging agents used in X-ray, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and nuclear imaging medicine.

The Cork facility manufactures the full range of non-ionic X-ray and MRI contrast media and serves the world market outside the US. Following the expansion, it will also service the US, Canada and South America.