A pharmaceutical company is to create up to 50 new jobs in Roscommon.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals built the €50m manufacturing and development facility on a 17-acre site in Monksland near Athlone.

This is the first directly owned, managed and operated manufacturing facility built by Jazz.

The development started in February 2014 and was supported by IDA Ireland.

It has recently secured full regulatory approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, and the Health Products Regulatory Authority in Ireland.

The company expects to employ up to 50 people within three years.

Jazz has its headquarters in Dublin, where it employs approximately 100 people.

It also has operations in multiple cities in the US, Oxford and in Villa Guardia in Italy.

Speaking at the event chairman and CEO of Jazz, Bruce Cozadd, said: "This new manufacturing and development facility is an investment in Ireland and also an investment in our growing global infrastructure, which will enable us to more closely oversee and control the process of bringing high quality products to patients."

"It is particularly meaningful for us to open it in Ireland, close to our global corporate headquarters in Dublin."

"We were encouraged to come to Roscommon because of the excellent track record of this community in supporting the pharmaceutical industry and the pool of local talent available," he added.

While Jobs Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor added: "I'm delighted to be present today to mark the official opening of Jazz Pharmaceuticals' first manufacturing plant in Ireland."

"Having a global pharmaceutical company of this calibre establish such a facility in Co Roscommon is hugely significant, demonstrating serious commitment by the company to the region. The jobs created when the facility is operating at full capacity will be of great benefit to the local area and economy."

This follows on from an earlier announcement that an Australian tech firm is to bring 100 new jobs to Galway.