SINGAPORE - Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis is spending US$256 million (S$342.3 million) to expand its biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant here.
The enlarged facility is expected to be operational by early 2026 and will focus on manufacturing therapeutic antibody drugs to address conditions like skin and respiratory diseases.
Digital and automation solutions will be used to lift productivity at the plant and improve operational efficiency.
The facility now produces 140 batches a year, equivalent to nine million finished doses. The expanded plant will more than double that output.
Novartis will also upskill its workforce through training programmes lasting around one to two years.
The expanded plant will create 100 high-skilled new jobs, including for scientists and engineers, said Mr Steffen Lang, president of operations for Novartis.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said at the ground-breaking ceremony on March 15 that the pandemic demonstrated the importance of effective vaccines and therapeutics. Without these, Singapore would likely have seen far higher rates of mortality and deeper economic hardship.
The speed and success in developing therapeutics in this period improved pharmaceutical interventions to treat cancer, chronic and immune diseases and other illnesses, he said, adding: “This is especially salient as we confront the global challenge of an ageing population in the years ahead.”
The Asian Development Bank estimates that one in four people in the Asia-Pacific, or around 1.3 billion people, will be over the age of 60 by 2050.
The Novartis facilities here shipped approximately nine million treatment doses in 2023 to patients around the world suffering from chronic hives and arthritis.
Mr Lang 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,” he added.
DPM Heng stressed that manufacturing in the biopharma sector should be made more sustainable and productive, as well as to produce products that are more targeted, precise and effective.
He encouraged Novartis to extend its partnership with Singapore to manufacture advanced modalities such as gene and cell therapy and RNA therapeutics, which involve using molecules to modulate biological pathways to cure a specific condition.
“Investing in these areas will pave the way for more effective and precise biomedical solutions that help people, especially seniors, prolong their lifespans and enhance their health spans,” he added.
