Hiring medtech firm to triple Irish business

This month drug giant Abbott Laboratories said it would buy Alere in a $5.8bn deal.

Donal O'Doonovan

Medical technology firm Alere has begun recruiting 40 new staff, representing a three-fold increase of its Galway operations. The move will bring total employment at the Ballybrit facility to 150.

More than 150 million medical diagnostic tests will now be managed through Alere's Galway facility, the company said.

The Galway centre already oversees the processing and delivery of Alere's next generation healthcare tests in Europe and the Middle East.

The new hires come as Eastern Europe, Latin America and Africa are added to its portfolio.

Alere Galway will also lead on the supply chain management of the company's rapid, 'point-of-care' HIV tests.

Alere's point-of-care tests provide diagnostic results in a matter of minutes and can be conducted in doctors' surgeries and in an ambulance or at home. "Alere is the global leader in its field and it's very exciting that Galway is now central to its operations worldwide," said Mark Hengerer, president and general manager of Alere International, said.

"Alere's Irish operations play a significant role in delivering state-of-the-art rapid diagnostics to patients around the world and are a central part of our global operations.

"With this expansion, Alere Galway now has responsibility for the delivery of more than 150 million tests each year across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America, a three-fold increase in the number of tests processed here last year,"

The US-headquartered company has annual sales of $2.5bn, makes tests for infections such as HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and dengue fever.

This month drug giant Abbott Laboratories said it would buy Alere in a $5.8bn deal.