Pfizer has announced that it is to invest $200 million at its Grange Castle biotechnology manufacturing facility in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, according to PharmaTimes.

The investment will enable the drugs giant to introduce two new processing suites to the site and expand current production and product testing capabilities. Grange Castle is already one of the largest biotech manufacturing facilities in the world and currently produces two blockbusters - the pneumococcal disease vaccine Prevnar and the arthritis and psoriasis therapy Enbrel. The site currently employs 1,100 full-time staff.

Pfizer's chief financial officer, Frank D’Amelio, noted that with pharmaceutical and chemical products accounting for over 50% of Irish exports "and a long history in pharmaceutical excellence, Ireland is a prime location for this major investment.” He added that the Grange Castle project is "a strategic initiative that will allow us to further align and strengthen our manufacturing and supply network.”

The news was announced by Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Enda Kenny, who noted that Pfizer has made "a tremendous contribution to Ireland’s life sciences industry since it first established here in 1969 and this investment is a further demonstration of the company’s continuous commitment" to the country.

Pfizer has some 4,300 staff in Ireland across eight locations based in Cork, Dublin, Kildare and Limerick. Total investment by the company in the country exceeds $7 billion.