The Biopolis of Asia?
Multinational pharma and biopharma companies such as Abbott, GSK, Merck and Pfizer have established research and manufacturing operations in Singapore. Now industry leaders are determined to build an international biomedical sciences cluster.
Keat-Chuan Yeoh
Director, Biomedical Sciences Group
Singapore Economic Development Board
Singapore’s vision is to be the Biopolis of Asia, an international biomedical sciences (BMS) cluster advancing human health. To achieve this, Singapore has built up world-class capabilities across the entire value chain from drug discovery, development and clinical research, to manufacturing and health care delivery. Singapore’s BMS industry consists of pharmaceutical, medical technology, biotechnology and healthcare companies.
Singapore is a thriving location with a proven track record for pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as a fast-growing base of drug discovery and development operations. A number of leading global pharmaceutical companies have established world-class, internationally-validated manufacturing operations in Singapore. The activities include primary and secondary manufacturing of small molecule drugs and biologics. Companies with significant operations in Singapore include Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, GSK Biologicals, Lonza, Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Schering-Plough, Wyeth and Kaneka.
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
The successes at the Tuas Biomedical Park (TBP), an icon of biopharmaceuticals manufacturing in Singapore, clearly illustrate the thriving industry. Comprising more than 370 hectares of prepared land, the TBP had been developed as a “plug and play” environment for manufacturing operations, providing ready access to essential infrastructure such as roads, drainage systems, power and water supply, as well as telecommunication lines. Manufacturers can also leverage third-party utilities and services such as steam, natural gas, chilled water and waste treatment.
In addition, new and innovative services continue to be added to enhance the competitive manufacturing environment for pharmaceutical companies in Singapore. For example, Pfizer Asia Pacific broke ground on its new, state-of-the-art trigeneration facility. The facility, the first of its kind in Singapore, will support the utility needs of Pfizer's plant in TBP. Once the $5.2 million (at current exchange rates) plant is up and running by the end of the year, it is expected to reduce the annual utility costs of Pfizer's plant by about eight percent, or $616,000. Trigeneration works by producing three types of utilities—electricity, steam and chilled water—from a single integrated system, and increases energy efficiency by about 20 percent compared to conventional systems.
Singapore is already known to be a competitive and trusted location for pharmaceutical bulk actives and secondary manufacturing. While continuing to build on this, Singapore is also attracting more biologics manufacturing activities. Some of the companies that have set up such facilities in Singapore include Schering-Plough, GSK Biologicals and Lonza.
Schering-Plough has an $117 million lyophilization plant that conducts the freeze-drying, filling and finishing of the company’s biologics product, PEG-Intron, which is used in the treatment of Hepatitis C.
GSK Biologicals broke ground for its first vaccine manufacturing plant in Singapore, set to be operational in 2010. The new plant is GSK’s biggest vaccine investment in Asia and will be the first such facility in Singapore. The company will spend nearly $196 million during the next four years, in the first phase of development of the plant dedicated to the primary production of paediatric vaccines.
Earlier this year, Lonza announced a $250 million joint venture with Bio*One capital to build a large-scale mammalian cell culture plant in Singapore for the manufacture of commercial biopharmaceuticals. This will be Lonza’s first large-scale biologics manufacturing plant outside the USA. The plant will include up to four bioreactor trains, each with a flexible capacity of 1,000 to 20,000 liters. Just recently, Genentech announced that it will enter into a supply agreement for the manufacture of its products at this facility. In addition, Genentech also has an exclusive option to purchase the facility by 2012. With this secured offtake commitment, Lonza will proceed to build another 80,000 liter large-scale biopharmaceutical production facility in Singapore. Depending upon the final scale and scope of the facility, the capital investment may be as much as $350 million.
Pharmaceutical R&D
Three pharmaceutical companies have located their corporate R&D facilities in Singapore. Eli Lilly started Lilly Systems Biology (LSB), which represents the first major commitment made by a pharmaceutical company to utilize systems biology for accelerating the drug discovery process. LSB’s primary focus is on oncology.
The Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD) was established in 2004 to develop novel treatments for dengue and tuberculosis. NITD is well on its way to meet its ambitious targets of having at least two compounds in clinical trials by 2008, and two novel compounds on the market by 2013. NITD announced recently that it has already discovered two compounds which target multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) set up its Centre for Research in Cognitive & Neurodegenerative Disorders in 2004. The Centre’s 30 scientists are focused on developing new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease) and schizophrenia.
In addition, there are more than 20 biotechnology companies with drug discovery and development operations in Singapore.
Furthermore, Singapore has attracted a comprehensive range of research services providers including Albany Molecular Research, Inc (AMRI) and Maccine. AMRI is one of the world's leading contract chemistry-based drug discovery, development and manufacturing services company. AMRI Singapore provides a full range of chemistry technologies, process research, scale up and analytical services. Maccine, on the other hand, is a preclinical contract research organization providing discovery support and safety assessment to the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
Clinical Research
Many of the world's leading clinical research organizations (CROs) have established operations in Singapore. These companies not only work with Singapore hospitals to conduct scientifically-demanding trials, they have also set up regional hubs in Singapore to direct their clinical development activities in the region. Examples include Quintiles, Covance, ICON, MDS Pharma, PPD and Gleneagles Clinical Research Centre. Likewise, a significant number of pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi-Aventis and Schering-Plough have set up their clinical trials coordination centers in Singapore. Two companies, Eli Lilly and Pfizer, have also set up dedicated Phase I units in Singapore.
Conclusion
At the launch of Singapore’s BMS initiative in mid-2000, the goal was set to double the BMS industry’s annual manufacturing output to nearly $8 billion by 2005. In 2005, the BMS industry’s manufacturing output reached nearly $12 billion, exceeding the target by a robust 50%. Singapore’s BMS industry has grown at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23% during the past five years.
The first phase of the BMS initiative (2000-2005) put in place the key building blocks by building up core capabilities in biomedical research, and introducing important human capital, intellectual capital and industrial capital development initiatives. For the next phase (2006-2010), Singapore will leverage this strong foundation to enhance its capabilities in translational research and clinical sciences to bring discoveries from the bench to the bedside.
Similarly, Singapore will continue to expand the industry R&D and manufacturing base in Singapore. In particular, we will increase the breadth and depth of drug discovery and development work done here thereby further strengthening the links from bench to the industry. With these initiatives in place, we are confident that the BMS sector is on track to exceed the target of $16 billion manufacturing output and 15,000 jobs by 2015.
