Biopharma firm Regeneron to create 300 jobs in Limerick

US biopharma company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is to create 300 new jobs in Ireland as part of a new $100 million investment.

The company has announced a further expansion of its Limerick industrial operations and product supply bioprocessing campus that will bring overall headcount in Limerick to 800 people and total investment to $750 million.

Regeneron also has its European business administration headquarters in Dublin, where it employs about 30 people.

The company was established in 1988. Its flagship product is ophthamology drug Eylea, which treats wet age-related macular degeneration. More recently, it has brought “bad” cholesterol drug Praluent to market. It also markets Arcalyst, a gout therapy. In the pipeline are drugs for rheumatoid arthritis, skin diseases, pain and cancer.

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Regeneron’s 400,000 square foot production facility in Limerick is the largest scale bulk biologics production facility in Ireland and one of the largest biologic production operations in the world. The additional $100 million investment will support the construction of a number of manufacturing suites to increase drug substance production capacity and enable the company to meet demand for its life-transforming medicines for patients with serious diseases.

"Gut feel is a large portion of any site selection. When we picked Limerick years ago, we simply felt good about the community, universities and people. A few years and a lot of experience later, I can now confidently say I know Limerick is a place where you can build and thrive as a biotech," said Dan Van Plew, executive vice president and general manager at the Limerick facility.