Tánaiste welcomes Abbott Laboratories’ £50 million investment in its Donegal Town facility.

The new products to be manufactured at the Donegal facility are disposable biosensor strips for use with Abbott’s blood glucose monitoring devices. The new strip technology allows people with diabetes to test their glucose levels more effectively and conveniently.

The Donegal facility was established in 1980 to produce intravenous drug delivery systems and has operated very successfully in this business. It currently employs about 550 people.

The Tánaiste said that this kind of investment was a perfect model of the development required to sustain existing businesses and create growth opportunities for employees. "Abbott’s management team is to be commended for securing this investment in the Donegal facility. The development of the Donegal facility represents the company’s long-standing confidence in the quality of the Irish workforce," said the Tánaiste.

An Abbott spokesperson said, "the workforce in Donegal are very experienced, very loyal and accustomed to the Abbott culture and this will be of significant benefit during the transition period. The new operation will increase the Donegal facility’s role within Abbott, as glucose monitoring is an important part of its diagnostics business."

Mr. Frank Conlon, IDA Ireland’s Area Director for the North-West Region, welcoming the development, said, "This is an ideal example of IDA Ireland’s strategy of working with overseas companies located here to assist them in winning further investment from the parent corporation and in expanding existing operations. Abbott’s already major contribution to the Irish economy, and particularly to this Region, through an annual wage bill of £26 million, will be further enhanced by today’s developments."