Singapore provides key advantages for life sciences companies, including being the easiest place to do business, excellent connectivity, access to talent, and an intellectual property friendly environment. It has established capabilities in areas like pharmaceutical and biologics manufacturing, drug discovery and development, and clinical research. Over 50 biomedical sciences companies and 30 research institutes are located in Singapore, driving innovation.

1. Si n g a p o r e B i o t ech G u i d e 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1
Overview of Singapore’s Pharmaceutical and
Biotechnology Industry
Asia Presents New Growth Key advantages include:
Opportunities • World’s Easiest Place to Do Business
Asia’s healthcare market is valued at US$240 (World Bank, 2009) – Singapore has
billion in the year 2008 and is expected to established a strong legal system and
grow between 5% to 10% (Frost & Sullivan, a stable political system that prides
2009). While Asia presents a dynamic and itself on honesty, quality and reliability.
fresh playing field that offers tremendous At the same time, the city-state offers
opportunities for those who dare to think an international business environment
differently, its diversity in political systems, with the world’s global industry leaders
culture and economic development constitute setting up business activities that include
challenging new grounds. Success will thus headquarters, R&D and manufacturing.
depend on an in-depth understanding of local Leveraging its world-class infrastructure
conditions and regulatory regimes. and reliable public utilities, Singapore
presents a trusted location to manage
Driving Expansion in Asia companies’ business expansion while
Located in the heart of Asia, Singapore is a being attuned with global developments.
choice location for companies’ international
and regional headquarters to drive global • Excellent Connectivity – Singapore is well
companies’ expansion into Asia and Asian connected with regional markets within
companies’ global outreach. seven-hour flight radius. As a leading
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2. S inga po r e Bio t ec h G u ide 2010/ 2011
aviation hub in Asia, Singapore’s Changi
Airport serves over 80 international
airlines, with over 4,500 flights each
week, connecting to 190 cities in more
than 60 countries. Coupled with its world-
class infrastructure, Singapore has been
a location of choice for companies to
host regional meetings and conferences.
Furthermore, Singapore is connected
to the most extensive network of Free
Trade Agreements (FTAs) in Asia, having
concluded 19 FTAs that cover 60% of the
world’s GDP.
• Access to Talent – Singapore offers top production plants, Singapore presents a
quality of life in Asia (Mercer HR, 2009) reliable manufacturing site where they can
and has drawn both global and regional effectively transfer technology, efficiently
talent, who seek to experience the best scale-up manufacturing and ensure quality
international experience at the cultural control of their products. Today, leading
crossroads of the East and the West. pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies
Singapore’s safe environment and its have invested in 30 commercial-scale
base of renowned international schools facilities, where some of their most innovative
have also made it easier for executives to medicines are produced.
relocate their families.
Some of the key benefits of manufacturing in
Leveraging Singapore’s advantages, 30 Singapore include:
leading biomedical sciences companies have
set up regional and international headquarters • Rapid set-up and export – Companies
in Singapore. In 2009, Takeda opened its setting up in Singapore can construct and
regional headquarters in Singapore to drive its validate a manufacturing plant within 24-
commercial growth and reach in Asia Pacific; 36 months, given the city-state’s quality
Quintiles also doubled the size of its Asia- manpower, world-class infrastructure and
Pacific headquarters to an 80,000 square-feet reliable supporting services. In addition,
facility to meet the region’s growing demand. Singapore has established a good track
record with regulatory authorities, as
Manufacturing Innovative Medicines well as strong trade linkages with major
As global companies seek to manage their markets. Together with its excellent
risks by diversifying the geography of their logistics connectivity, companies can
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3. Si n g a p o r e B i o t ech G u i d e 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1
quickly export and distribute their address manpower issues harmoniously.
products to global markets. Manpower costs remain competitive with
entry salaries for B.Eng graduates pegged
• Pro-Business Environment – Singapore at US$1,500 each month for about 50
is well-known for its business-friendly working hours each week.
environment, with its good corporate
governance, clear and consistent • Industry’s partner in process development
government guidelines and excellent – Companies (e.g. GlaxoSmithKline,
IP protection. Singapore also offers a Novartis) are extending beyond commercial
politically stable and favourable tax manufacturing into process development.
environment. This ease of doing business In addition to setting up their own
is complemented by the country’s support process development units, companies
for the adoption of environmentally- can also partner our research institutes
friendly practices and technologies in the (e.g. Institute of Chemical Engineering
manufacturing sector. and Sciences, Bioprocessing Technology
Institute) to optimise manufacturing
• Quality Manpower – Singapore offers processes and the formulation of new
a base of skilled local talent who are products. The Singapore Institute of
well-trained in science and mathematics. Manufacturing Technology has partnered
Singapore’s workforce is consistently companies to develop automation
ranked the world’s best labour force solutions to streamline operations.
(BERI). Since the 1970s, the city-state has
had zero man-days loss on strikes, due to Singapore is strengthening its position
its tripartite system that brings together as Asia’s leading site for biopharmaceutical
the government, employers and unions to manufacturing. In 2009, leading companies
located their first-in-Asia facilities in Singapore
– GlaxoSmithKline opened its vaccine plant
that will produce purified bulk polysaccharides
and conjugates which are used to manufacture
GSK’s new pneumococcal conjugate vaccine,
meningitis, and other new innovative vaccines;
Baxter commenced construction for its Advate
plant; Roche purchased Lonza’s mammalian-
cell facility to manufacture Avastin and
officially opened its microbial-cell facility to
manufacture Lucentis. Singapore also made
headway in cell therapy with Lonza’s first-in-
Asia cell therapy plant.
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4. S inga po r e Bio t ec h G u ide 2010/ 2011
Within five years since the first biologics companies to carry out candidate to proof-
announcement, leading companies have of-concept activities. Complementing these
invested about US$2 billion in six major advantages with Singapore’s established
plants. In 2009, Millipore set up its first base of contract research organisations and
regional training centre for biopharmaceutical global central labs, Singapore presents a
manufacturing, in response to the growing one-stop location for companies to carry out
base of biologics plants in Singapore. drug discovery and development activities.
In addition, Singapore’s focus on diseases
Building on our strong track record for prevalent in Asia and its base of global
chemical-based pharmaceutical and biologics researchers will help to accelerate companies’
manufacturing, Singapore is building innovation for the fast-growing Asian
up capabilities in process development markets.
and green manufacturing. In 2009,
Bioprocessing Technology Institute partnered Singapore has developed the following
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals for vaccine capabilities and resources that enable
and process development. GlaxoSmithKline companies to accelerate drug discovery and
also announced a S$50 million endowment development in Asia:
fund, jointly launched with the EDB, to fund
graduate studies in green manufacturing and • Integrated Countrywide Research
public health policy. Network – Global biomedical sciences
companies are leveraging Singapore’s
Accelerating Drug Discovery & integrated countrywide network that
Development connects research institutes at the
Singapore has established world-class Biopolis with Academic Medical Centres
scientific and clinical excellence, which enables (AMC), where public hospitals and
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5. Si n g a p o r e B i o t ech G u i d e 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1
• Regulatory Framework that facilitates
innovation – Singapore seeks to achieve
a regulatory framework that facilitates
the development of innovative therapies,
while ensuring global standards of safety,
quality and efficacy. The Singapore’s
Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is actively
involved in defining new regulatory
frameworks and pursuing new areas of
research in regulatory science. HSA hosted
the 3rd Summit of Heads of Medicines
Regulatory Agencies in December 2008
and will co-host the 14th International
medical institutes that attend to 80% of Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities
Singapore’s patients and Investigational with World Health Organisation (WHO) in
Medicine Units (IMUs) are co-located September 2010. HSA has also forged
with institutes of higher learning. This MOUs with world’s leading regulatory
integration not only enables an efficient agencies such as the US Food and Drug
flow of knowledge from the bench to the Administration, China’s State Food and
bedside; equally importantly, it provides a Drug Administration and UK’s Medicines
platform for clinician-scientists to address and Healthcare Products Regulatory
hypotheses derived from the bedside. Agency. In October 2009, Singapore was
accepted into OECD’s Mutual Acceptance
• Excellent Intellectual Property Protection of Data framework that enables data
– Building on its world-class legal system, from GLP-compliant pre-clinical trials
Singapore ranks no. 1 in the world for conducted in Singapore to be accepted by
intellectual property (IP) protection (World 30 OECD and non-OECD members that
Economic Forum Global Competitiveness include the U.S., EU and Japan.
Report 2009-2010). Singapore has signed
major international IP conventions and • Plugged into Asia – Located at the
treaties that allow IP filed here to receive heart of Asia, Singapore offers excellent
global protection. Singapore has also connectivity to key Asian markets and
established an extensive infrastructure provides medical insights from its pan-
with professional consultancies and Asian population base. In 2006, Singapore
institutes that provide advisory services launched the Translational and Clinical
for IP management. In 2005, the World Research (TCR) Flagship programmes that
Intellectual Property Office set up its first present a key platform for researchers and
Asian regional office in Singapore. clinician-scientists to develop therapies
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6. S inga po r e Bio t ec h G u ide 2010/ 2011
for key diseases relevant to Singapore and
Asia. Companies can carry out pre-clinical
and first-in-man trials for drug candidates
that are developed outside Singapore, and
manage later-phase trials in Asia from in-
house control tower units or via CROs in
Singapore.
• Access to Global Talent – To continually
grow its pool of global biomedical
talent, Singapore is committed to driving
innovation and offers a high standard of
living that is comparable to leading cities
worldwide. Today, 4,000 international and hospitals in Singapore. These companies
and local researchers carry out include Abbott, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis,
biomedical sciences R&D in Singapore. Lilly, Schering-Plough, Takeda, S*Bio,
Local researchers make up about 70% Inviragen, MerLion Pharmaceuticals and
of the private-sector researcher pool, PharmaLogicals.
and top scientists have relocated to
Singapore to lead our research institutes. Recent announcements include Schering-
In addition, leading pharmaceutical and Plough’s Translational Medicine Centre and
biotech companies have teams with Abbott’s pharmaceutical analytical research
an international representation in their lab. Recent biotech announcements include
Singapore corporate labs. The Novartis S*BIO’s licensing agreements with Onyx and
Institute for Tropical Diseases, for example, Tragara to develop oncology drugs, which will
employs more than 100 researchers from entitle S*BIO to receive more than US$600
18 nationalities. million in payment; FORMA Therapeutics’
first overseas lab in Nanyang Technological
Singapore’s efforts to build up core University, Singapore; Inviragen’s merger with
capabilities in basic science as well as SingVax, which raised US$15 million in Series
translational and clinical research have A financing.
provided us with a strong scientific base to
engage leading pharmaceutical and biotech Complementing Singapore’s strengths in
companies in collaborative R&D activities. early innovation and translational research,
the city-state has also established a core base
Today, more than 50 biomedical sciences of 20 leading contract research organisations
companies are carrying out R&D alongside (CROs) and pharmaceutical companies that
30 research institutes, medical institutes manage regional clinical trials from Singapore.
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7. Si n g a p o r e B i o t ech G u i d e 2 0 1 0 / 2 0 1 1
Recent announcements in the year 2009 Singapore to head the city-state’s research
include Takeda’s regional clinical coordination institutes, consortia and laboratories.
centre, ICON’s expanded central lab, PPD’s new Singapore is now home to more than 2,000
global central lab and Quintiles’ expansion of researchers from across the globe.
its Asia-Pacific headquarters facility.
Singapore provides an enticing
Accessing Global Talents environment for professionals, and has
Singapore is well-known for its ability been consistently ranked as Asia’s top
to attract the world’s top scientific and city in terms of quality of life (Mercer HR;
business talents. Edward Holmes (former ECA International) and offers an excellent
Vice Chancellor, University of California, San education system. The city-state is English-
Diego), Judith Swain (University of California, speaking, cosmopolitan with foreigners
San Diego), Edison Liu (former director of making up a quarter of the population, and
clinical sciences, National Cancer Institute, offers a range of dynamic entertainment and
US), Neal Copeland and Nancy Jenkins recreation options. Since 2008, Singapore has
(National Cancer Institute, US), Sir George been hosting Formula One’s first night race
Radda (former Chief Executive, Medical during Singapore Grand Prix. In 2010, two
Research Council), Colin Blakemore (UK integrated resorts, which host world-class
Medical Research Council), Axel Ulrich (Max hotel, convention, entertainment facilities
Planck Institute for Biochemistry, Germany), and a casino in one location, will officially
Philippe Kourilsky (College de France, France), open. These resorts are developed by Las
Sydney Brenner (Nobel Laureate, Salk Vegas Sands and Genting International.
Institute of Biological Sciences), and Yoshiaki Singapore is also within a seven hour
Ito (University of Kyoto, Japan) are amongst flight radius from the region’s top tourist
the scientific leaders who have come to destinations (e.g. Angkor Wat in Cambodia,
Bali in Indonesia, Hua Hin and Phuket in
Thailand, Shangri La in China).
Singapore also recognises the need to
nurture the next generation of scientists.
Since the year 2001, Singapore’s Agency
for Science, Research and Technology
(A*STAR) has launched a national
scholarship programme that seeks to
nurture 1,000 local PhD graduates in the
world’s top universities. To date, A*STAR
has awarded more than 500 biomedical
sciences scholarships. More than 100
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8. S inga po r e Bio t ec h G u ide 2010/ 2011
awardees have completed their PhDs and
returned to work in A*STAR research
institutes and units.
In addition, Singapore has launched
the A*STAR Investigatorship (A*I) award,
which was modeled after the prestigious
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI)
Investigatorship award, to attract bright
young researchers to carry out independent
research in Singapore’s public-sector research
institutes. Bruno Reversade (France) and
Prabha Sampath (India) are the first recipients
of the award. In September 2009, Reversade Key highlights in 2009 include Lonza’s
led a group of German and Singaporean foray into cell therapy after investing in the
scientists to publish their findings in genetic first biologics plants in Singapore; Baxter’s
mutation that led to premature skin ageing expansion from 30-years of medical device
in the prestigious Nature Genetics. and implantable manufacturing into
biopharmaceutical manufacturing; GSK’s
Besides basic researchers, Singapore has partnership with EDB in launching the S$50
also introduced various schemes to grow our million endowment fund for graduate studies
cadre of clinician scientists. The Singapore in green manufacturing and public health
Translational Research Investigator Award policy, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary
(STaR) is designed to recruit and nurture of doing business in Singapore.
world-class clinician scientists to undertake
cutting-edge translational and clinical As global pharmaceutical and
research in Singapore; the Clinician Scientist biotechnology companies seek to locate their
Award (CSA) is another scheme that provides key business functions and decision makers
funding and salary support for clinicians closer to the fast-growing Asian markets,
to allocate at least 70% of their time on Singapore presents a strategic base as these
research. companies’ home-base for the business
expansion and innovation in Asia.
Forging Long-Standing Partnerships
Singapore is committed to be in time for
the future and is committed to partnering
companies to co-create solutions to address
unmet healthcare needs in Asia and the Contributed by the Singapore Economic
industry’s challenges. Development Board
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