Nabi opens European HQ in Ireland

Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has officially opened its European headquarters in Ireland. Dick Roche, minister for environment, heritage and local government, opened the new offices at the IDA Business Park in Bray, County Wicklow.

The Irish office will primarily focus on extending Nabi Biopharmaceuticals' marketing and sales operations into the European market, employing in the region 30 to 40 people by the end of 2006, with research activities related to clinical research and development also managed from Ireland. The second stage of development may include construction of a manufacturing facility in Ireland.

'The opening of our European headquarters is a seminal milestone for Nabi Biopharmaceuticals,' said Thomas McLain, chairman, chief executive officer and president, Nabi Biopharmaceuticals. 'We are developing and marketing products that solve some of the world's most critical healthcare challenges. By building an infrastructure in Europe, we will be able to readily advance our strategic initiatives in our key markets and grow our leadership position in nephrology and other target areas.'

McLain continued: 'We are delighted to be opening our European headquarters in Bray. The skilled workforce and welcoming business environment in Ireland made it the natural choice for us. Ireland provides Nabi Biopharmaceuticals with the ideal location, facilities, and talent for entering the European market and offers us a stable, multi-lingual-speaking employee base to service world markets. We have made great advances in the development of StaphVAX, among many other products, and found in Ireland a place where we could employ the best new talent to work with us to market and possibly manufacture these innovative products.'

Brian Elliott, interim general manager of Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, Ireland, commented: 'We have a very strong opportunity for developing the Nabi Biopharmaceuticals brand in Europe, and I am very confident that Ireland is the best place from which to execute our strategy in this market. With the recent announcement that the European Commission intends to put the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries back at the top of the political agenda, there has never been a better time for us to expand our operations into the European market.'

Irish minister Dick Roche commented: 'This is the first full-scale European headquarters to be established by a US biopharmaceutical company in Ireland, and I am confident that this decision by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals will encourage many others to follow. This type of investment is pivotal to the continued development of Ireland's knowledge economy with a focus on highly skilled jobs, strong r&d activities and the strategically important role of the Irish office as a regional headquartered operation.'