Singapore reinforces position as a global site for pharma and biotech; output quadruples

Singapore has firmly established itself as a leading manufacturing hub in Asia with its strong track record, sophisticated infrastructure, superior intellectual property protection and reliability. Its biomedical sciences manufacturing output expanded four-fold from $4.4 billion in 2000 to $17.0 billion in 2007 at a compounded annual growth rate of 21%, far surpassing the industry's global growth rate, according to the Singapore Economic Development Board.

Singapore is now host to 11 global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, which have invested in more than 25 commercial manufacturing facilities in the Island State. These facilities are validated by regulatory authorities from the US and Europe, and produce innovative medicines for the global market.

The Singapore manufacturing facilities of US drug majors Merck & Co, Pfizer and Schering-Plough successfully completed validations from the Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) with zero observations. This is a strong testament to the operational excellence and high quality workforce available in Singapore to support high value pharmaceutical and biologics manufacturing activities.