Jazz Pharmaceuticals has opened a new manufacturing facility in Athlone, Ireland.

The facility is the company’s first directly owned and operated plant capable of developing, manufacturing, and packaging drug products. It is located on a greenfield site in Monksland in Roscommon County near Athlone, approximately 75mi (120.7km) east of Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ headquarters in Dublin.

Expanding the company’s presence in Ireland, the Athelone facility enables the company to produce high-quality products for patients. It will initially produce narcolepsy drug Xyrem and other product candidates under development.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals began construction of the $68m facility on 10 February 2014 and received approval from the US FDA, as well as Health Products Regulatory Authority Ireland.

The project was also supported by IDA Ireland and the Irish Government’s Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. It created 160 vacancies during construction and is expected to create up to 50 when operating at full capacity.

Pharmaceutical production facility design and construction

The Athelone development and manufacturing facility is designed to adhere to multiple regulatory agencies for multi-product development under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP). It occupies a floor space of 5,150m² (55,434ft²) on a 17 acre site.

The main areas of the plant include the administration building, quality control laboratory, manufacturing units, warehouse, utilities, plant area, and fallow space. The plant accommodates air handling units and electrical panels, while the utility area consists of switch and boiler rooms.

Personal change rooms and the production area are located below the plant, as well as personnel airlocks, process rooms, cleaning rooms and office space. The warehouse contains a shipping area, storage, and a sampling dispensary. It also features functional site infrastructure, such as a waste water balancing system, pump house, emergency generator, underground facilities, site roads, parking spaces, and a firewater attenuation pond.

More than 450t of structural steelwork was required for construction and a total of 7,000m² of roof and floor metal decking and shot fixed shear studs were also installed. In addition, the entire building is coated with flame-retardant paint.

Contractors for Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ facility construction

PM Group provided the front-end design and also co-ordinated the environmental impact assessment to seek planning permission for the project from Roscommon County Council (RCC).

Killeen Civil Engineering was contracted to provide engineering services, while architectural work was provided by Deveraux Architects.

Elcon engineering was contracted to install low-voltage (LV) and medium-voltage (MV) cable glanding and terminations.

Wills Bros was contracted for construction and the company subcontracted P.McHugh & Sons for installation of electrical and telecom ducting, watermain, and rising foul and foul main drainage.

About Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is a bio-pharmaceutical company, which develops and commercialises sleep, haematology and oncology, narcolepsy, pain, and psychiatry products.

The company has invested in a new manufacturing and development facility in Athlone to meet growing demand and to increase its product portfolio in the future. The facility will also enable the development and manufacturing of finished pharmaceutical products for distribution worldwide.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ commercial portfolio includes Xyrem (sodium oxybate) oral solution, Erwinaze (asparaginase erinia chrysanthemi), Prialt (zinconotide) intrathecal infusion, and Fazaclo (clozapine, USP).