Jazz Pharmaceuticals held an event at its Athlone site recently to commemorate 20 years since the founding of the company and to mark 10 years in the midlands town. The event also highlighted the site’s role in supporting Jazz’s current and future pipeline focus in both neuroscience and oncology, across both drug development and commercial manufacturing.
Jazz is a global biopharmaceutical company with a focus on developing potentially life-changing medicines for people with serious diseases, so they can live their lives more fully.
Between its headquarters in Dublin and its manufacturing facility in Athlone, the company employs more than 200 people in Ireland.
Since 2016, Jazz has made strategic investments in its Athlone facility, building new technical services laboratories and upgrading the site’s capability to support the company’s expanding commercial portfolio and pipeline. With these developments, the site will now have a role in supporting both drug development and commercial manufacturing, across neuroscience
and oncology.
Liz Henderson, Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Jazz Pharmaceuticals said: “As we celebrate two significant milestones, 20 years of our company and 10 years in Athlone, we are reminded of the remarkable journey we have undertaken together with the local community and our partners. The long-term relationships we’ve built in Athlone, and more broadly in Ireland, have been central to our ability to deliver innovative medicines to patients worldwide.
“We’re delighted to have embarked on key strategic enhancements to our Athlone site which will create capacity and capability, make the site pivotal to delivering Jazz’s long-term strategy, and ensure our sustained presence as a premier employer in the area, committed to offering high-calibre employment opportunities.”
Jazz Athlone site leadership and employees welcomed Minister of State, Neale Richmond, to the event to showcase the upgrades, which was also attended by representatives from Jazz’s Executive Committee, business partners, and local politicians, as well as invited guests from the local community. Guests were provided with a tour of the recently upgraded Athlone facility.
In 2022, Jazz successfully transferred responsibility for European import (quality and batch) testing for Jazz’s medicines to treat rare forms of epilepsy from an existing third-party site to Jazz’s manufacturing facility at Athlone. Today, the Athlone facility manufactures the majority of the US commercial supply for Jazz’s treatments for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. The Athlone facility also houses quality control laboratories, which are central to Jazz’s commitment to patient safety.
Minister Richmond said: “It is a fantastic milestone and a great achievement for the team at Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Jazz not only provides potentially life-changing medicines but also provides valuable jobs across Ireland and it is great to see the continued commitment to the island. I have no doubt that Jazz will continue to grow on the strength of the fantastic talent available and would like to wish the team many more years of continued success.”
Rachel Shelly, Head of Life Sciences at IDA Ireland, added: “As Jazz Pharmaceuticals commemorates 10 years of excellence in their Athlone operation and marks 20 years since its founding, the company’s continued commitment to the midlands region and the thriving biopharmaceutical sector in Ireland is testimony to the success of their Irish operations; and the midlands as a strategic hub for innovation and talent in the life sciences sector.”
Committed to corporate sustainability and social impact, Jazz operates its Athlone facility in an environmentally responsible way and is committed to meeting evolving regulatory standards and taking steps to reduce environmental impact, using sustainable practices wherever feasible. The Athlone facility purchases 100 per cent renewable electricity and supports the local community through participating in volunteering days, hosting school visits, and STEM training days.
