Singapore Aims As World Pharma Production Base

Singapore, better known to the world as the Asia-Pacific region's busiest port and a flourishing financial and banking center, will also be developed as a strategic base for manufacturing pharmaceutical and health care products for international markets, the Republic's Minister for Health and Minister for Information and Arts announced, George Yeo, while opening a new manufacturing plant for Baxter Healthcare Far East in Singapore last month.

"For the pharmaceutical and health care industry, our intent is to develop Singapore as a strategic base for the world-scale manufacture of pharmaceutical and health care products, with an emphasis on research and development and linkages to biotechnology and medical services," Mr Yeo pointed out.

Mr Yeo said that Singapore has restructured its health system to provide better and more cost-effective health care. "We are also adopting health care systems to see if they will lower cost and improve services," he added.