Singapore biomedical output down in Aug

Results from the pharmaceutical sector impacted on Singapore's August 2006 manufacturing output, which increased just 5.5% overall, having risen 19.8% in July and 22.5% in June, according to data from the island state's Economic Development Board.

The biomedical manufacturing cluster contracted 18.0% in August due to the pharmaceuticals segment. The production of active pharmaceutical ingredients shrank 21.5% with a composition-mix of products different from last August. Pharmaceuticals are one of the nation's emerging sectors, having sky-rocketed 62.2% in July.

On the other hand, said the EBD, the medical technology segment grew 14.2% as output of medical devices rose to meet exports orders from the USA and Europe. Cumulatively, the cluster grew 24.7% in the first eight months of 2006 compared to the same period in 2005.