PHARMACEUTICAL giant Regeneron is expanding its Limerick base as it accelerates its efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
The company, which last week announced it had hired its 1,000th employee, is seeking additional workers and constructing a new laboratory and office building on the Raheen Business Park.
The expansion comes as Regeneron continues the testing process on one of its existing medicines and develops new antibodies for the coronavirus.
The company told the Limerick Post that it had “reached a milestone of 1,000 employees at its Industrial Operations and Product Supply (IOPS) facility in Limerick” and is currently recruiting for more than 60 open positions.
Regeneron acquired the former Dell computer facility and achieved planning approval in April 2014 for its first IOPS site outside of the United States.
Executive Vice President and general manager, Daniel Van Plew, said: “It feels surreal to now have over 1000 of the most talented people in the industry working at our Raheen site.
“At the time we decided to set up shop in Limerick, I didn’t fully appreciate the depth of the Irish talent pool or how welcoming the community would be.”
“It is a privilege to continue to work and grow in Limerick, and to be surrounded by so many hardworking and innovative people,” he added.
Meanwhile the company’s site head Niall O’Leary, said those who are hired in the latest recruitment drive would be part of a “world class team”.
“Employees at Regeneron work with a start-up mentality, have a strong team culture, and are passionate about the work we do. That has been Regeneron’s mindset for decades and we’ve brought the same attitude across the Atlantic.”
“Since we hired our first employee in Ireland six years ago, to the 1000th employee today, we have continuously looked for people that fit our culture and this has served us very well.”
Founded in Tarrytown, New York, and led for over 30 years by physician-scientists, Regeneron has been inventing life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases.
The company’s medicines are designed to help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, pain, infectious and rare diseases.
