Millicent Pharma, the Carlyle-backed women's health company, is making a multimillion pound investment in its manufacturing facility in Larne, County Antrim, creating more than 20 new jobs. The investment, announced on 12 October 2026, funds automation and productivity improvements and will take the Larne workforce from 50 to 70 people.
- Investment: a multimillion pound capital programme at the Larne facility. The exact amount has not been disclosed.
- Jobs: more than 20 new roles, taking the Larne workforce from 50 to 70.
- Roles: technicians, managers, supervisors, engineers and quality assurance specialists. Job postings went up in early October.
- Purpose: automation and productivity improvements to increase manufacturing capacity and meet growing demand.
- Timeline: capital investment has already started and will continue over the next few years.
- Backers: the company was founded in 2018 with financial backing from The Carlyle Group and its founders.
What Millicent Pharma is investing in at Larne
The investment goes into automation and productivity improvements at the Larne site. The company says this will strengthen its manufacturing, innovation and capacity so it can meet growing demand for its products. Capital spending has already begun and is planned to continue over the next few years.
The expansion adds more than 20 jobs, growing the Larne team from 50 to 70 employees. Recruitment covers technicians, managers, supervisors, engineers and quality assurance specialists, and the company began advertising the roles in early October. For a site of 50 people, a 40 per cent rise in headcount is a significant step.
Larne is more than a production site for Millicent. The company describes the facility as both its manufacturing base and a dedicated research and development Centre of Excellence, which means the new roles sit alongside product development work rather than packaging or distribution alone.
What Millicent Pharma said about the Larne expansion
Ryan Loughlin, Senior Vice-President of Millicent Pharma, said:
"We are delighted to announce our expansion plans in Larne. Having been part of the local economy for seven years, this announcement is a tangible demonstration of our commitment to investing in both our production capabilities and job creation; collectively a meaningful contribution to the region's prosperity.
"The team at Millicent Pharma are equally as passionate about our research and development within women's health and about supporting Larne's community wealth-building initiatives. We look forward to seeing the impact this major capital investment will have both on the local economy and on women's health globally."
He added: "Our future and Larne's future are closely linked. Supporting the Community Wealth Building Partnership is about ensuring that, as Millicent Pharma grows, the benefits, skills, jobs, and opportunities, are shared across the whole locality."
Who is Millicent Pharma?
Millicent Pharma is a fully integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused on women's health, with branded therapies in contraception and hormone replacement therapy. It was established in 2018 with financial backing from The Carlyle Group and the company's founders.
Carlyle announced the launch of Millicent on 21 May 2018, together with the company's first acquisition: Femring, which Carlyle described as "a long-acting, estrogen-based, vaginal ring treatment for menopausal women", bought from Allergan. Carlyle's equity came from Carlyle Partners VII, which it describes as a U.S.-focused buyout fund. At launch the company set out to acquire, develop, manufacture and commercialise pharmaceutical products globally.
Millicent operates manufacturing facilities in Larne and in Puerto Rico, with corporate offices in Dundalk, County Louth, and in New Jersey in the United States. Its operations span the UK, Ireland, the United States and Puerto Rico, which makes it one of the cross-border life science businesses with a footprint on both sides of the Irish border.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Investment | Multimillion pound; exact amount not disclosed |
| New jobs | More than 20 |
| Larne workforce | 50 rising to 70 |
| Larne site role | Manufacturing base and R&D Centre of Excellence |
| Products | Branded women's health therapies, including contraception and HRT |
| Other sites | Manufacturing in Puerto Rico; offices in Dundalk and New Jersey |
| Founded and backed | 2018, by The Carlyle Group and the founders |
Community wealth building in Larne
Alongside the investment, Millicent supports the Larne Community Wealth Building Partnership, a programme led by LEDCOM, the Larne enterprise development company. Community wealth building aims to keep more of the economic value created by local employers within the area, through local hiring, local supply chains and skills.
Ken Nelson, Chief Executive of LEDCOM and Chairman of the Larne Community Wealth Building Partnership, said: "As a vital part of the Larne life and health sciences sector, it's exciting to witness Millicent Pharma's growth plans as it progresses towards being a global centre of excellence within its target markets. Its ongoing investment plans will create attractive new employment and skills opportunities for the local area."
What the Larne investment means for Northern Ireland's life sciences
County Antrim is the most active county in Northern Ireland for pharma and medtech manufacturing. Our Ireland pharma and medtech map records 17 manufacturing sites in Antrim, out of 36 in Northern Ireland, and Millicent's expansion adds skilled roles outside the Belfast area. The company says Invest Northern Ireland has supported its growth in the region in the past; the announcement does not say whether this investment received public support.
The focus on automation is typical of how established pharmaceutical plants are growing: rather than building new sites, manufacturers invest in equipment that raises output per line, and hire engineers and quality specialists to run and validate it. Quality assurance roles in particular are in steady demand across the island, as our coverage of who is hiring in Irish life sciences shows.
Women's health is also a growing therapeutic focus for the industry, with renewed attention on menopause care and hormone therapy. A specialist company with its own manufacturing and research in Larne is well placed to benefit if that demand continues.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How many jobs is Millicent Pharma creating in Larne?
A: More than 20 new jobs, taking the Larne workforce from 50 to 70. The roles include technicians, managers, supervisors, engineers and quality assurance specialists.
Q: How much is Millicent Pharma investing in Larne?
A: The company describes it as a multimillion pound investment. The exact figure has not been disclosed.
Q: What does Millicent Pharma make?
A: Branded women's health therapies, including contraception and hormone replacement therapy. Its first acquisition in 2018 was Femring, a vaginal ring treatment for menopausal women.
Q: Who owns Millicent Pharma?
A: It was established in 2018 with financial backing from The Carlyle Group and the company's founders. Carlyle invested through its Carlyle Partners VII fund.
Q: Where else does Millicent Pharma operate?
A: It manufactures in Larne and Puerto Rico and has corporate offices in Dundalk, County Louth, and New Jersey, USA.
Outlook
Recruitment for the new Larne roles is already under way, and the capital programme will run over the next few years as the automation is installed and validated. The company has not disclosed the size of the investment or a date for completing the expansion. We will update this article if Millicent publishes further detail on the investment or its timeline.
Cover image: AI-generated illustration. It does not show Millicent Pharma's Larne facility, its products or its staff.
Sources
- The Irish News: Carlyle-backed pharma group Millicent commits to Larne with new multimillion pound investment creating 20 jobs
- Business Eye: Millicent Pharma NI announces multimillion pound Larne investment
- LoveBelfast: Millicent Pharma NI announces multimillion pound Larne investment and 20 plus new jobs
- The Carlyle Group: Carlyle and pharmaceutical industry veterans launch Millicent Pharma with acquisition of Femring (21 May 2018)
