AbbVie has kicked off another phase of its Singapore manufacturing expansion by opening a new biologics unit that complements existing small molecule API production at the plant.
The expansion of the facility in the Tuas Biomedical Park in Singapore is part of the company’s $320 million investment in the facility. The Chicago-based company announced in 2014 that it planned to build a 1.2-million-square-foot facility, but soon after bought a decommissioned contained API manufacturing plant that was already built, along with some additional buildings and extra equipment.
When fully operational, the facility is expected to employ more than 250 people.
During the ceremony this week, S. Iswaran, Singapore’s Minister of Trade and Industry, told The Straits Times that the government will invest $2.4 billion in advanced manufacturing and engineering as part of its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 plan.
AbbVie now has 13 locations in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Puerto Rico. Prior to announcing its expansion into Singapore, AbbVie already had R&D facilities in Tokyo and Shanghai, China, and 120 employees in Singapore supporting its R&D and commercial operations throughout Asia.