Innovative cell therapy production site opened in Ireland

Takeda Ireland, a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd,  celebrates the opening of a cell therapy production facility at its Grange Castle site. The commercial-scale cell therapy production facility is the first of its kind in Ireland and will play an important role in supplying European, US and Canadian markets with a cell therapy treatment option for patients. There are over 100 people currently working at the cell therapy facility with another 100 new jobs to be filled over the next three years.

Innovative cell therapy production site opened in Ireland

Commenting on the announcement An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar T.D., said: “Congratulations to Takeda on the opening of this new, state of the art facility, which already employs 100 people and will create 100 more jobs over the next 3 years. Takeda is at the forefront of cutting-edge research and innovation and the company’s continued investment here underlines Ireland’s position as a global hub for the biopharma sector. The treatments developed at this centre will make a real difference to patients’ lives and I would like to thank the team for their commitment and wish them well in this new chapter.”

The opening follows an announcement in 2021 that Takeda would invest a further €36.4 million to support the expansion of the cell therapy facility at Grange Castle and create approximately 100 new jobs over the next three years. The expansion, which is now complete, will allow the team to support the growing global demand.

Thomas Wozniewski, Takeda’s global manufacturing & supply officer, commented: “The opening of this state-of-the-art cell therapy facility at Grange Castle illustrates Takeda’s innovation capabilities and also underlines the importance of Ireland to the global Takeda manufacturing network. Cell therapy facilities require a specialized set of skills and the talent base in Ireland is as important as other frame conditions like proximity to partners and an international airport.”

The Facility Products

The facility will host drug products, drug substance and master cell stock. It will also play an important role in supplying drug substances to other Takeda manufacturing facilities. Due to the short shelf life of the treatment, the facility has automated its supply chain and manufacturing processes, to create efficiencies and get the treatment to patients in need. The facility uses a number of rapid microbial test methods to ensure the release of products to patients in a timely manner. It is the first facility in Ireland that is approved to release a cellular therapy product commercially using rapid test methods.

Paul Keogh, Grange Castle site head, commented: “The Grange Castle site is growing from strength to strength thanks to a great team and strong investment in our people and technology. The treatment produced here will be delivered to patients within 72 hours of being released from Grange Castle which means we are closer to the patient than we have ever been and this brings a great sense of pride to our team.”

CEO of IDA Ireland, Martin Shanahan said: Takeda’s continued investment at its Grange Castle facility and the opening of this cell therapy production facility at its Grange Castle site is a huge vote of confidence in Ireland and our strong value proposition. Cell therapy is a core pillar in the emerging field of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), widely considered the next generation of pharmaceutical therapies.

These products require highly innovative approaches to manufacturing and offer unparalleled opportunities in the treatment of disease. This facility adds to Ireland’s reputation as a global location of excellence for next-generation biopharmaceutical products.”

The Takeda Grange Castle site uses 100% renewable electricity. The site is also one of the first pharmaceutical companies in Ireland to achieve an international standard for energy management known as the ISO 50001:2018 standard. This is a voluntary standard for designing, implementing and maintaining an energy management system, it includes setting objectives for improving the efficient use of energy. These measures support Takeda’s wider commitment to being carbon zero in its own operations by 2040.