Baxter Announces $15M+ Investment To Develop Modern Aseptic Compounding Facility In Dublin
The multi-million-dollar investment will increase on-island compounding capacity, flexibility
A modern facility strengthens supply resiliency, empowers at-home patient treatment and creates professional development opportunities for Baxter Ireland employees
Reducing the need for importation also supports the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) carbon emission goals for 2050
Dublin, Ireland -
Dublin, Ireland, July 26th, 2022 – Baxter Healthcare Ltd, a medtech leader, is pleased to announce a multi-million-dollar investment to develop a modern aseptic compounding facility in Sandyford, Dublin that will increase domestic production capacity. The first phase of the project has already received its good manufacturing practices (GMP) licence from the Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA). Construction for phase two is underway and expected to finish before the end of this year, pending HPRA audit and approval. Completion of the facility will build on Baxter’s more than 50-year history in Ireland and the company’s ongoing commitment to its people, patients and customers across the country.
Aseptic compounding is a complex process that involves the reconstitution or “mixing” of drugs into patient-specific and batch, ready-to-use intravenous (IV) preparations for both hospital and home treatments. This includes parenteral nutrition (nutrients fed through an IV), IV chemotherapy and home IV antibiotics (through the HSE National Community Intervention Team Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Programme (OPAT)). Aseptic reconstitution by commercial providers provides a critical service to the Irish healthcare system. This service accounts for a significant proportion of the reconstituted product used by hospitals daily and plays a critical role in expanding homecare.
Baxter aseptically compounds pharmaceuticals for the HSE and private hospitals, including prescriptions for at-home patient care. Currently, a significant portion of Ireland’s aseptic reconstituted chemotherapy and antibiotic product comes from the UK. With this project, Baxter expects the Sandyford facility to manufacture all of the company’s demand for the Irish market by 2024, helping to ensure better consistency and speed of supply across Ireland by reducing the need to import. This is particularly important as a 2019 report from the National Cancer Registry shows the country’s cancer cases could double by 2045, creating a corresponding increase in demand for chemotherapy1. In addition, a reduction in international shipping to import product supports the HSE’s carbon emission goals for 2050.
The first phase of the facility development introduced new laminar air flow cabinets, a grade B clean room and a room dedicated for training—all focused on preparing parenteral nutrition. The newly installed Cytotoxic Drug Safety Cabinets (CDSCs) enhance turnaround times and flexibility within the manufacturing process and help to future-proof aseptic services in Ireland as they support future automation. Upon full completion of the project, Baxter will have increased capacity to compound additional products including aseptically prepared chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies and centralised IV additives.
“We are committed to Ireland and believe that this investment will enable Baxter to better support the HSE, our customer and patients in meeting the growing demand for aseptic services and products -- in addition to helping empower more patients to receive treatment at home,” said Andy Goldney, Vice President, Clinical Nutrition and Pharmaceuticals Western Europe and Country Sponsor for Baxter UK and Ireland. “As we migrate to new technology and a new site, we also embrace the opportunity to support our team’s ongoing professional development and specialised skill-building.”
The Sandyford facility is part of a network of six existing aseptic compounding units across Ireland and the UK. Each of Baxter’s compounding facilities are licensed by the HPRA in Ireland and the Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Authority in the UK.
For more than 50 years, Baxter has been a substantial employer in Ireland and an established partner of the HSE. Today, Baxter employs nearly 2,000 people across five sites and partners with the HSE in the delivery of technologies and solutions across a range of therapy areas. For more information about Baxter in Ireland, please visit https://www.baxterhealthcare.ie/.
About Baxter Aseptic Compounding Services
For more than 30 years, Baxter UK and Ireland has been a leading provider of a comprehensive range of outsourced aseptic preparations and services, and has forged lasting partnerships with the HSE, NHS and the private sector, including running and managing dedicated NHS aseptic units in the UK. With modern manufacturing facilities and broad expertise, Baxter is relied upon by hospitals across Ireland and the UK to provide tailored, seamless medication compounding services.
About Baxter
Every day, millions of patients and caregivers rely on Baxter’s leading portfolio of critical care, nutrition, renal, hospital and surgical products. For 90 years, we’ve been operating at the critical intersection where innovations that save and sustain lives meet the healthcare providers that make it happen. With products, technologies and therapies available in more than 100 countries, Baxter’s employees worldwide are now building upon the company’s rich heritage of medical breakthroughs to advance the next generation of transformative healthcare innovations.
Baxter is a registered trademark of Baxter International Inc.