(Left to right) : Ms Cindy Koh, Executive Vice President, Economic Development Board (EDB); Ms Ana Locatelli, Site Head, Novartis Singapore; Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies; Mr Steffen Lang, President of Operations at Novartis; Mr Christoph Buerki, Chief Financial Officer Operations, Novartis. [Image courtesy of Novartis]
Novartis announced last week that it broke ground on a biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Singapore.
The company put forward a $256 million investment to begin the project, which will lead to the deployment of digital and automation solutions to enhance manufacturing productivity, improve operational efficiency, and upskill the workforce. Novartis said this site will focus on manufacturing therapeutic antibody drugs to deliver breakthrough treatments to patients globally.
“In the next phase of growth for the biopharma sector, we should seek to make manufacturing more sustainable and productive, as well as to make products that are more targeted, precise and effective. This will require constant and persistent innovation. With Singapore’s biomedical investments over the years, we have built an ecosystem that is well-positioned to work with global partners like Novartis to deliver best-in-class and innovative biologics products that can combat diseases and increase healthspans, around the region and globally,” said Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.
Novarits said the new facility will enhance the skills of its current workforce and create 100 high-skill new job openings. It expects this to foster the expansion of the local life science sector.
Steffen Lang, President of Operations at Novartis, said, “Biotherapeutics now account for almost one-half of all recent drug approvals and have enormous potential to address unmet needs of patients across a wide range of diseases. To meet this increasing demand for biologics, the Novartis early-stage biologics portfolio has been growing significantly in terms of capacities and investment. Our new facility in Singapore, which will be operational by early 2026, is timely and will help in bolstering the biopharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain across Asia as well as strengthen local capabilities and upskill talent in Singapore.”
Thermo Fisher Scientific also recently announced the opening of a sterile drug facility in Singapore.