Singapore:Genetech's biologics manf facility

Chennai, Mar 31: Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) today announced that US-based Genetech, one of world's leading biotechnology companies, had decided to establish a commercial scale microbial based biologics manufacturing facility in Singapore, involving an investment of 140 million US Dollars.

The facility, which would be located in Tuas Biomedical Park, was intended for the manufacture of bulk "LUCENTIS" (ranibizumab injection), a treatment for wet age related mascular degeneration, a company release here said.

Civil work for the facility, which would give a significant boost to Singapore's efforts to grow its biologics manufacturing sector, was expected to begin in the second quarter of this year and the lincensure anticipated in early 2010, it said.

The facility would have about 100 employees at steady state and provide 1,000 litres of capacity for the products of E.coli derived products, the release added.

Genetech plant was the fourth biologics manufacturing facility and the other biologics plants presently under construction in Singapore included GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals' vaccine facility, and Swiss based biologics contract manufacturer Lonza's two facilities, it said.

UNI