Japan-based pharmaceutical company Takeda has initiated construction of a new high-containment production facility at its existing site in Grange Castle Business Park in Dublin, Ireland.

The new facility will be used for manufacturing Takeda’s lead oncology product Ninlaro^® (ixazomib) for global markets.

Approved in the US, Europe, and Japan, Ninlaro^® is indicated for the treatment of multiple myeloma in patients who have received at least one prior therapy.

The decision to invest €40m ($42.50m) for the construction of a second production facility at Grange Castle was announced by Takeda in December 2016. The cost for the construction will be supported through IDA Ireland by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise, and Innovation.

The project is expected create approximately 40 new jobs in the next two years and construction is scheduled to be completed by August 2018.

Details of Takeda’s new facility

The new production facility will have a total floor space of 5,672m², including 2,998m² production areas on theground and first floors. It will also feature 2,674m² ancillary structures such as electrical building and services yard.

The building will be 15.95m high, supported by steel frames and reinforced concrete. It will help enhance Takeda’s vital in-house manufacturing capacity to meet global demands.

Production at the new plant in Grange Castle

The new facility will accomodate a range of production processes required for Ninlaro^®, including drug substance, drug product, primary and secondary packaging, and quality control (QC) lines.

Ninlaro^® was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2015 and by the European Commission (EC) a year later. It was approved in Japan in March 2017 and launched in the country by May of the same year.

The drug is available in 4mg, 3mg, and 2.3mg hard capsules for oral administration.

Construction

The ground-breaking ceremony for this second production facility was held in June 2017. It was attended by guests including Tánaiste and Minister of Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald T.D, Japanese Ambassador Mari Miyoshi, councillor Guss O’Connell, and mayor of South Dublin County Council Paul Keogh.

Construction is expected to be completed by August 2018 and shipment of secondary packaged product will commence in the second half of 2018.

Project Management (PM) Group was awarded the contract to provide design and to manage construction.

Marketing commentary on Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company is a research and development (R&D) firm focused on oncology, gastroenterology, and the central nervous system therapeutic areas. It has a workforce of approximately 30,000 employees across 70 countries worldwide.

Following the start of its operations in Ireland in 1997, the company chose Dublin as a location for its first active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility outside Japan in 2002.