A US company that manufactures medical devices for patients suffering from acute heart failure has confirmed that it is to set up a new production facility in the Midlands which will employ 250 people.
Abiomed already has a plant in Germany, but is setting up three new production lines in Athlone and hopes to take on the new workforce in the next 18 months. The jobs are being supported by IDA Ireland.
When the Conormed medical devices company closed its plant in Athlone in May of last year, nearly 200 people lost their jobs. The Johnson and Johnson owned firm was operating from a 33,000 square feet plant in the town and now a major US firm has come in to take over the space.
Abiomed is one of the world's leading manufacturers of heart support and recovery products such as heart pumps. It is building three major production lines for a new product in Athlone and hopes to be up and running in 18 months.
Meanwhile, the chief executive of IDA Ireland has said it is very hard to know if pharmaceutical company Elan will build a new multi-million euro production centre in Ireland - as originally hoped.
Speaking in Athlone, this morning, Barry O'Leary said Elan had said it would decide shortly on the project, but in the light of the clinical trials and the reports last week he found it 'really really hard to know' what would happen.
