Novartis expands its biopharmaceutical manufacturing site in Singapore

Novartis announced it broke ground for the expansion of its biopharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Singapore. The US$256 million investment will facilitate Novartis in deploying digital and automation solutions to enhance manufacturing productivity, improve operational efficiency, and upskill the workforce. The expanded site will focus on manufacturing therapeutic antibody drugs to deliver breakthrough treatments to patients globally.

“In the next phase of growth for the biopharma sector, we should seek to make manufacturing more sustainable and productive, as well as to make products that are more targeted, precise and effective. This will require constant and persistent innovation. With Singapore’s biomedical investments over the years, we have built an ecosystem that is well-positioned to work with global partners like Novartis to deliver best-in-class and innovative biologics products that can combat diseases and increase healthspans, around the region and globally,” remarked Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, in the opening speech.

Steffen Lang, President of Operations at Novartis, stated, “Biotherapeutics now account for almost one-half of all recent drug approvals and have enormous potential to address unmet needs of patients across a wide range of diseases. To meet this increasing demand for biologics, the Novartis early-stage biologics portfolio has been growing significantly in terms of capacities and investment. Our new facility in Singapore, which will be operational by early 2026, is timely and will help in bolstering the biopharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain across Asia as well as strengthen local capabilities and upskill talent in Singapore.”

This endeavour will enhance the skills of Novartis’ current workforce and is poised to create 100 high skilled new job openings, fostering the expansion of the local life science sector. Novartis acknowledges the significance of investing in talent, and the expanded facility will not only bring in new team members but also provide training for existing employees to thrive in a highly digitalized and automated setting.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat graced the groundbreaking event as the Guest-of-Honor together with Frank Grütter, Swiss Ambassador to Singapore, Embassy of Switzerland; Ms Cindy Koh, Executive Vice President, EDB, in attendance.

Novartis has a strong partnership with Singapore since 1986.  We have invested more than US$1 billion as part of our commitment to Singapore and to uplift the pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities of the nation. Novartis Singapore manufacturing site was established from 2002 onwards. In 2013, we set up our first biopharmaceutical production facility in Asia and is one of the largest manufacturing investments we have made with strong support from the Singapore government.