€20 million investment and 20 new jobs at Wexport in Cork

The significant factors in choosing Wexport as the location are its competent R&D team, which is well respected within the LEO Group, and its established success in implementing previous investments.

Dr. Rhonda Lecky, Plant Manager, Wexport Ltd

Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Mary Coughlan TD today (14th December, 2009) announced that Wexport Ltd., part of the LEO Pharma Group is to immediately invest €10 million, with plans for a further €10 million at a later date, at its site in Little Island, Cork. This investment will result in the creation of 10 new positions this year, with the prospect of a further 10 positions in the future.  It involves the establishment of a Research and Development Centre in Bioprocessing technology in addition to a doubling of production capacity. 

The investment will also establish the site as the Corporate Centre-of-Excellence in technology for the production of heparin (anticoagulant) and low molecular weight heparin, tinzaparin, which is globally marketed in as Innohep® and is LEO Pharma’s second biggest selling product. Innohep® is the treatment of choice in many Irish hospitals for the prevention of clots and the treatment of life threatening deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

The R&D Centre, involving €3.4 million of the investment and supported by Government through IDA Ireland, will create 5 of the new jobs in a team of nine scientists/engineers. It will focus on: R&D of continuous bio processing methods, a major new initiative for the company, for the production of an ultra-pure version of heparin; doubling the output of the facility; achieving purity levels to support critical care patients and meeting new safety standards. The balance of the investment will double production capacity in order to support the parent company's ambitious growth strategy which aims to double its  sales of Innohep® in the Critical Care market.

The Tánaiste said “This is a major coup for Wexport as it gives the company full responsibility for the future development of heparin and tinzaparin APIs. Embedding the entirely new R&D capability in the Cork operation will add a new dimension to its current innovative, technology and skills capabilities through the development of continuous processing, advanced separation and analytical techniques. This is a major vote of confidence in Wexport by the parent company and will further secure the facility and workforce at Little Island. Biotechnology is a key strategic sector for the Irish Government and IDA Ireland and this investment is a further boost to that sector.”

Wexport currently employs 45 people in the manufacture of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) for the Group’s anticoagulant products - unfractionated heparin and tinzaparin - through a biotech purification process.

Dr. Rhonda Lecky, Plant Manager, Wexport Limited, stated “Bringing this R&D and the increased production capacity together at Wexport makes the site the Corporate Centre-of-Excellence in heparin technology and will double its output. The significant factors in choosing Wexport as the location are its competent R&D team, which is well respected within the LEO Group, and its established success in implementing previous investments. The company is to subcontract aspects of the research to Irish universities and third-level institutes and is already in contact with a number of these, including Institute of Technology Tralee, University College Cork, University of Limerick, and the membrane technology group within Cork Institute of Technology.”
 
About LEO Group
The LEO Group concentrates on dermatology and critical care products, which it sells in 90 countries and is directly represented in more than 20 of these, with new ventures in the US, China and Russia. LEO Pharma A/S was founded in 1908 and is now entirely owned by the LEO Foundation, which is an independent, private institution with the aim of ensuring long-term pharmaceutical research and the continuation of the LEO Group. For 2008 Group sales were €766 million, with annual expenditure on R&D of 16% of sales. Current employment is 3,346 people, of which 500 are employed in R&D.

LEO Group has operated in Ireland since 1958. Last year The LEO Pharma Ireland celebrated 50 years in Ireland. There are two subsidiaries in Ireland, Wexport Ltd in Cork and LEO Pharma Dublin, employing a total of almost 360 people.

LEO Pharma Dublin, which manufactures topical dermatological products and ophthalmologic products for the treatment of infection, eczema and psoriasis, was the first international pharmaceutical company to establish a manufacturing base in Ireland. Dublin is the sole site within the group for the manufacture of these products and as such is strategic to the Group.

For further information:
Wexport Ltd:  
Dr. Rhonda Lecky,
Plant Manager,
Wexport Limited
Wallingstown.
Little Island.
Cork.
Tel. 021 4354102
Fax. 021 4354319
rhonda.lecky@leo-pharma.com

IDA Ireland:
Gillian Lawless,
Press Officer,
Tel: 01-6034190
Mob:  087 9050699
gillian.lawless@ida.ie