The expansion of a US-owned pharmaceutical company in Larne is set to create 86 new jobs.
Colorado company Gambro BCT is spending £7 million over the next three years expanding the Ivex Pharmaceuticals business it acquired 13 months ago.
Invest Northern Ireland is contributing £840,000 to the expansion. The agency said that it was another example of the confidence that international companies had in Northern Ireland.
Invest NI's Chief Executive, Leslie Morrison, said that by 2007 the investment would be contributing about £2 million a year in additional salaries and wages to the local economy.
Ivex has been in business for over 25 years as a contract manufacturer and supplier of intravenous and other sterile solutions for the pharmaceutical, medical device and veterinary industries.
Gary Heath, vice-president of operations at Gambro, said the Larne facility was well regarded within the group and it was testament to its well-deserved reputation that it had decided to continue to trade under the Ivex name.
The expansion was welcomed by local politicians, including former Stormont Economy Minister Sir Reg Empeyand the SDLP Councillor Danny O'Connor.
