- Investment will build capabilities to supply the Astellas global market and accelerate the development and commercialisation of innovative medicines -

TOKYO, Sept. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Astellas Pharma Inc. (TSE: 4503, President and CEO: Naoki Okamura, "Astellas") today announced its intention to submit a planning application to build a new state-of-the-art facility, at an approximate cost of €330 million in Tralee, Co. Kerry.

This investment by Astellas in Ireland will expand our capacity and capabilities for aseptic drug products, reinforce stable production for global supply and accelerate the development and commercialization of innovative antibody drugs and other new products.

The facility will be based on the Industrial Development Authority's (IDA)* greenfield site in Kerry Technology Park, Tralee, bringing highly specialized engineering, science and technology roles to the region and helping to further the Astellas VISION to "be on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients."

Hideki Shima, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Astellas
"Astellas is developing innovative drugs and technologies based on our Focus Area research and development approach, placing patients at the forefront of everything we do. With the new facility, Astellas will aim to strengthen our in-house production capacity and capabilities and ensure a stable supply of high-quality Astellas medicines to patients around the world."

Michael Lohan, CEO at IDA*
"This announcement from Astellas is excellent news for the South West region and indeed Ireland. Astellas already has a presence in both Kerry and Dublin and this significant investment of approximately €330 million, adding a new state-of-the-art aseptic drug product facility, underscores the strategic importance Ireland plays in Astellas' global operations. The new facility in Tralee will be built with sustainability at its core and will showcase Ireland and our regional attractiveness as a location for investment."

The new facility in Tralee will be built in line with Astellas' ambitious sustainability targets and values incorporating the highest national and international best practice in energy and environmental design. The project aims to cut water use by about half, reduce operational energy intensity by more than one-third and produce zero waste to landfill (compared with LEED^® baseline). These measures along with onsite renewable technology including solar PV panels and biomass boiler underpin Astellas' efforts in the mitigation of climate change. 

Astellas has already reflected the impact from this matter in its financial forecast of the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.

Outline of the new state-of-the-art facility in Tralee

1. Location: Kerry Technology Park, Tralee, Co. Kerry, Ireland
2. Site area approximately 44.7 acres.
3. Outline of manufacturing lines: 3-story building, total floor area of 17,000 square metres. Building footprint approximately 7,300 square metres
4. Subject to planning permission, construction will commence in 2024, with the site expected to be operational by 2028.

*Industrial Development Authority's (IDA):
IDA Ireland is the official agency responsible for the attraction and retention of inward foreign direct investment into Ireland.

About Astellas
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+^® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.

Cautionary Notes
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.
Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Inc.