Novartis to build $500 million biotech facility in Singapore
pharmafile | November 1, 2012 | News story | Manufacturing and Production, Sales and Marketing | Jimenez, M&P, Novartis, Singapore
Novartis is overseeing the construction of a biotechnology facility in Singapore that is the result of a $500m investment injection.
The firm intends to develop a new, state-of-the-art biotechnology production site alongside its existing pharmaceutical production site in Tuas, Singapore. Plans are for the facility to focus on drug substance manufacturing based on cell culture technology.
The investment by Novartis will help it manufacture its growing biologics portfolio, which accounts for 25% of the company’s current clinical research pipeline.
Construction of the new production facility is scheduled for early 2013, and it is hoped that the site will be fully operational by the end of 2016. The facility will operate flexibly, handling large- and small-scale volumes and will support the clinical and commercial production of potential new products, including monoclonal antibodies related to the treatment of diseases with autoimmune, respiratory and oncology indications.
Novartis’ investment supports its long-term plans for Singapore to be a technological competence centre for both biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturing. It already has several operations in the city state, including its Asia-Pacific head offices, the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), two production facilities for Alcon and a pharmaceutical manufacturing site.
“This investment further strengthens our strategy to establish key strategic sites based on technological competencies. Singapore will be strengthened through a new state-of-the-art facility for biotechnology which is a growing segment of our business,” said Joseph Jimenez, chief executive of Novartis.
“We have chosen Singapore as a strategic supply point as it offers a wide range of advantages due to its strong local biomedical presence and knowledge, skilled labour as well as proximity to growth markets in Asia,” Jimenez said.
Biologics are a key component of the current Novartis product portfolio, which incorporates Lucentis (ranibizumab), developed with Genentech/Roche, which reached sales outside of the US of over $2 billion in 2012. Another leading Novartis biologic is Xolair (omalizumab), which attained blockbuster status in 2011 when annual global sales reached $1 billion.
The investment is part of Novartis’s long-term strategy to establish a worldwide manufacturing network of technology centres of excellence.
Susie Lunt
Related Content
Novartis receives SMC approval for early breast cancer treatment
Novartis has announced that its treatment for early breast cancer, Kisqali (ribociclib), has received approval …
Novartis candidate for Sjögren’s disease presents positive results
Novartis has reported positive results from two phase 3 clinical trials – NEPTUNUS-1 and NEPTUNUS-2 …
First malaria medicine for infants under 4.5kg receives approval
Coartem (artemether-lumefantrine) Baby, or Riamet, has been approved by Swissmedic as the first malaria medicine …
