1,000 new jobs will be created by Abbott in Kilkenny and Donegal.
As part of a €440 million investment in this region, US healthcare business Abbott Laboratories has announced plans to generate 1,000 jobs.
The company plans to use the funds to develop its facilities in Donegal and build a brand-new, greenfield manufacturing facility in Kilkenny.
Abbott has been operating in Ireland for more than 75 years and currently employs 5,000 people.
It also has operations in Clonmel, Cootehill, Dublin, Longford, Sligo, and Galway in addition to Donegal and the new factory that will be built in Kilkenny.
Planning approval is required for the new 250,000 square foot manufacturing complex, which will be situated on the IDA Business and Technology Park in Loughboy, Kilkenny.
The US multinational will be able to dramatically increase production thanks to the new facility in order to fulfill the demand for the FreeStyle Libre technology for diabetics, which has increased from 400,000 to more than 4 million users over the previous five years.