SPEECH BY MR LIM HNG KIANG, MINISTER
FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY, AT THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY FOR LONZA
BIOLOGICS SINGAPORE’S BIOLOGICS MANUFACTURING FACILITY AT TUAS
BIOMEDICAL PARK ON WEDNESDAY 15 FEBRUARY 2006, 10:45
AM
His Excellency, Dr Daniel Woker, Swiss
Ambassador,
Mr Stefan Borgas, CEO,
Lonza;
Distinguished
Guests,
Ladies and
Gentlemen
Good
morning.It gives me great pleasure to join you today for the
groundbreaking of Lonza Biologics Singapore’s new bulk biologics
manufacturing facility at Tuas Biomedical Park.The relationship
between Lonza and Singapore goes back to ten years ago, when
the company invested in a plant in Jurong Island to
produce Purified Isophthalic Acid
(PIA) for the global market.
Lonza is widely
recognized to be one of the leaders worldwide in contract
manufacturing of chemicals and biomolecules.This US$250 million facility, which is a joint
venture with Bio*One Capital, EDB’s investment arm for biomedical
sciences, is Lonza’s first
biologics investment in Singapore.It is also Singapore’s first
commercial-scale biologics manufacturing facility, and
marks yet another milestone
in Singapore’s development as a strategic global manufacturing site
for the biomedical industry.
Lonza’s project
serves as a strong endorsement that our efforts to enhance
Singapore’svalue proposition for
biologics manufacturing are on the right track. Broadly, these
efforts are in two key
areas:
The first is
to develop the continuum of capabilities in Singapore to support
companies in the entire range of activities from bioprocess
research, pilot-scale manufacturing to commercial-scale
manufacturing.
a.For
bioprocess research, the Bioprocessing Technology Institute (BTI)
plays a key role in conducting research in areas such as expression
engineering, animal cell technology, microbial fermentation,
downstream purification and analytics.The BTI also houses
Bio-preneur labs within its research facility to host companies who
have research collaborations with BTI.
b.For
pilot-scale manufacturing, A-Bio Pharma, a
homegrown biologics CMO (contract manufacturing organisation), has
a cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices) 200 and 500 litre
scale mammalian cell culture facility for the production of
monoclonal antibodies and other protein therapeutics.Since it
started operations in 2003, A-Bio has built up an impressive track
record with major global pharmaceutical clients.
c.Lonza’s
commercial-scale biologics manufacturing investment in Singapore
thus completes the entire spectrum of biologics manufacturing
solutions that are available in Singapore for biotechnology and
pharmaceutical companies looking to outsource their
requirements.
Secondly, for
companies looking to invest in their own biologics
manufacturing facilities in Singapore, we have
expanded our technical manpower pool through a comprehensive range
of training programmes.
a.Our goal is
to provide on-the-job training opportunities for at least 100 young
Singaporeans per year in bioprocess research or biologics
manufacturing.BTI provides an internship programme where science
and engineering university graduates are equipped with the
specialised knowledge and practical skills in areas such expression
engineering, cell culture, downstream processes, analytical
techniques and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).In
addition, EDB supports
Singaporeans to undergo on-the-job training with major companies
involved in biologics drug development and production all around
the world.
b.For in-curricula training, our local universities,
polytechnics and the Institute for Technical Education have
established rigorous courses and programmes to provide their
students with training in biologics manufacturing and bioprocess
research.Together, these institutes produce approximately 1,900
technicians and 600 university graduates a year, who would have had
undergone at least one module of biologics-related
training.
cIn addition, companies looking to set up biologics
manufacturing facilities in Singapore can tap on our established
pool of more than 28,000 trained and experienced engineers and
technicians from related industries such as food processing,
chemicals and semiconductor manufacturing.Their experiences in
process technology and working under highly‑regulated manufacturing
conditions make this manpower pool a valuable resource for
biomedical companies.
Singapore’s
Biomedical Sciences initiative has made good progress since the
year 2000.With an output of S$18 billion last year, our Biomedical
Sciences cluster is already the third largest Manufacturing sector
after Electronics and Chemicals.I am confident that our commitment
in attracting more biologics manufacturing projects will grow this
further.Bio*One Capital’s strategic investment in this facility is
an integral part of this commitment.
Conclusion
In
closing, let me
congratulate the management and staff of Lonza
Biologics Singapore on the groundbreaking of your new bulk
biologics manufacturing facility.You can be assured of the
Singapore government’s full support for the smooth start-up and
implementation of this very strategic
project.
Thank you.