Contract manufacturer Hovione is to create up to 100 new jobs in Cork as part of a global €148 million expansion.

The Portuguese company is expanding its Loughbeg site, creating the jobs over three years. Hovione helps pharmaceutical customers bring new and off-patent drugs to market, with operations in Ireland, Portugal, China and the US.

The Cork site, which opened in 2009 and currently employs 200 people, facilitates the production of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPI). It also supports the onboarding of drug substance manufacturing projects of all sizes.

Hovione plans to create an ecosystem, where large customer projects can connect to the existing infrastructure and equipment, and the expansion will also see it receive a new commercial size spray dryer to meet demand for particle engineering services.

"Hovione in Cork is one of the strategic growth engines of the company. With its unique location in a pharmaceutical hub, our Loughbeg site plays a significant and strategic role within the global network," said Dr Paul Downing, general manager at Hovione in Cork.

The expansion is part of a recently announced plan to grow capacity at its sites in Ireland, the USA and Portugal.