Alexion Pharmaceuticals is to create 200 jobs here after it announced it is to set up its first biologics manufacturing facility outside of the United States. The €450 million, four-year project will be constructed at Alexion’s College Park site in Blanchardstown, west Dublin, bringing Alexion’s total workforce in Ireland to almost 500 employees. Since 2013, Alexion has invested €130 million in two facilities: a vial fill-finish facility in Athlone, Co Westmeath, and a Global Supply Chain facility at College Park. The planned expansion of the College Park facility is expected to create more than 800 construction jobs. “Alexion is pleased to progress the development of our College Park facility with a significant expansion that will now include our first biologics manufacturing facility outside the United States,” said Julie O’Neill, Alexion EVP of global operations. “This project further underscores our commitment to Ireland and is enabled by our ability to recruit highly competent and professional personnel to support the production and distribution of our medicine, Soliris, and our strong pipeline of biologics medicines. Alexion has a unique mission to develop life-transforming therapies for patients with severe and life-threatening ultra-rare disorders. “We are already serving the very few patients in Ireland suffering from two very rare and devastating diseases; with this major expansion, our Irish operations, comprising biologics manufacturing, vial fill-finish and global supply chain, will be at the forefront of this vital work globally,” O’Neill said.