Gainesville drug company to open in Northern Ireland

GAINESVILLE - Pharmaceutical company Kiel Laboratories Inc. plans to open a manufacturing plant in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland.<br> <br> The $8.5 million investment would be the first effort by a U.S.-based drug firm to establish operations in Northern Ireland. The project would employ 100 people within two to three years, company officials said.<br> <br> Kiel, based in Gainesville, manufactures a variety of private label and generic prescription drugs in several categories, including pulmonary and respiratory diseases.