Jazz starts building.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) and its subsidiary, GW Pharmaceuticals ("GW") –  announced the official start of construction of a new, cannabis manufacturing facility at Kent Science Park (KSP) in Sittingbourne.

The new facility will be ~ 60,000 sq. ft, and will have a cost of over US$100 million (approximately £75m). The facility will create more than 100 new jobs. Due to open in 2024, the new facility will support the company's two regulatory-approved cannabis-based medicines and support future capacity for new medicines under development. The two medicines both follow Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

Jazz currently manufactures at KSP, occupying 12 buildings with more than 400 employees, making it, and the UK, the heart of the Jazz/GW global cannabinoid manufacturing operations.

The new facility has been designed with the environment front of mind. Animal refuge boxes to promote wildlife in the local area, single use plastics will be minimized and more than 1,100 solar panels will be installed.

"The UK has been our home for over two decades. This strategic investment underlines Jazz's continued commitment to the UK and will help us bring potentially life-changing medicines to more patients who desperately need them in the UK and around the world,"

"We are thrilled to have commenced construction of this state-of-the-art facility in Kent, which will create more than 100 permanent, highly skilled jobs. This facility, which is expected to open in 2024, will not only significantly increase our ability to support the growing demand for our medicines, but help us maintain our position as a world leader in cannabinoid science."

Chris Tovey, executive vice president, chief operating officer and managing director, Europe & International at Jazz Pharmaceuticals.