500 new jobs for Donegal

Pharmaceutical company Abbott has announced plans to create 500 new jobs at its Donegal base.

The US healthcare giant manufactures and distributes products for the treatment of diabetes and has almost 3,000 employees in Ireland across nine sites.

Abbott opened their plant in Lurganboy near Donegal town in 2006 to manufacture the worldwide supply of their FreeStyle and FreeStyle Lite brands of blood glucose test strips which are used in conjunction with FreeStyle blood glucose monitoring meters. The facility is a Centre of Excellence for blood glucose monitoring.

“I am absolutely delighted that State support is going towards this hugely significant announcement for Donegal and the entire region," said Ireland's Minister for Business, Enterprise & Innovation Heather Humphreys TD. "The Government has been working hard to ensure we have the right conditions in place to encourage job creation outside of our urban centres, and this is another positive signal that our pro-business policies are bearing fruit in Ireland’s regions.

"I would like to warmly congratulate Abbott on this big achievement for the company, which is a considerable vote of confidence in the local workforce."

IDA Ireland’s Executive Director Mary Buckley said: “Abbott is a global leader in healthcare. The company has been in Ireland for over 70 years employing c.3,000 people at nine Irish sites. This expansion of Abbott Diabetes Care, and the c 500 jobs it will create in the coming years, is terrific news for Donegal and the North West which is a key area of focus for us.

"It demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to the Donegal site. IDA Ireland is happy to support the company and this expansion which will be a considerable boost to the local and regional economy and furthers our strategy of winning investments for regional locations."