His Excellency, Mr. Nikesh Mehta, British High Commissioner to Singapore,
His Excellency, Mr. Anders Sjöberg, Ambassador of Sweden to Singapore,
Sir Pascal Soriot, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer,
Ms. Pam Cheng, Executive Vice President, Global Operations, IT and Chief Sustainability Officer,
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Introduction
1. Good morning. It gives me great pleasure to be here with you today for the groundbreaking of AstraZeneca’s Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC) Manufacturing Facility.
2. AstraZeneca is a global leader in oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. In particular, it is one of the market leaders in ADCs, a new class of next-generation precision therapeutics that delivers chemotherapeutic agents directly to cancer cells to destroy them.
a. For example, through its existing partnership with Daiichi Sankyo, AZ had developed the drug Enhertu that targets HER2 expressing cancer.
b. Last year, Enhertu was the best-selling ADC, accounting for almost a quarter of total global ADC revenue.
3. AstraZeneca’s new ADC manufacturing facility will not only be the company’s first manufacturing facility in Singapore; it will also be its first global end-to-end ADC manufacturing facility.
a. This facility will produce both the Drug Substance and Drug Product within the same location, and therefore incorporate all steps of the ADC manufacturing process at commercial scale.
b. It will also incorporate the latest manufacturing technologies, including the use of digital platforms and artificial intelligence.
c. This investment will be a significant boost to Singapore’s biopharmaceutical industry, and our goal of tapping into the growth of precision medicine.
Importance of the Biopharmaceutical sector
4. Today, we host over 60 manufacturing facilities from 7 out of the top 10 biopharmaceutical companies across diverse modalities – ranging from Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients to Biologics and Cell Therapies.
a. These facilities are the cornerstone of our biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector, which produced more than S$19 billion of products for global markets in 2022, a threefold increase from 20 years ago.
b. They also employ more than 9,000 workers today, and provide good jobs for Singaporeans.
5. AstraZeneca’s new facility will further add to the growth and vibrancy of our biopharmaceutical sector.
a. This facility will provide a shot in the arm for Singapore’s biopharmaceutical industry with world-leading ADC technological capabilities, and build up our competitive advantage in ADC manufacturing.
b. It will also benefit our broader manufacturing ecosystem, and enable Singaporeans to acquire new skills that are needed for the emerging demand.
c. This is in line with our Manufacturing 2030 vision, to build up Singapore as a global business, innovation and talent hub for Advanced Manufacturing.
Government’s commitment to supporting businesses
6. AstraZeneca’s investment today is a testament to its confidence in Singapore as a competitive location for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. We will continue our efforts to strengthen our value proposition:
7. First, by investing in innovation and new technologies to raise productivity.
a. EDB and A*STAR have set up two private-public consortiums, known as the Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (PIPS) and Biologics Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (BioPIPS) for both small molecules and biologics manufacturing respectively.
b. These consortiums bring together leading industry and R&D experts to co-develop solutions for the industry’s problem statements.
i. For example, the PIPS programme has developed new sensors for chemical reaction and process monitoring, improved catalyst performance for reduced cost and reduced waste, and process modelling to reduce the time to bring new products to market.
c. I invite AstraZeneca to collaborate with other players in our biopharma ecosystem to further develop efficient and innovative manufacturing processes.
8. Second, by growing our talent pool. The availability of manufacturing talent with the right capabilities and skillsets is critical for companies to invest and grow in Singapore. To anchor investments in novel areas, we will work with companies to build new capabilities that they need.
a. An example is Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s Career Conversion Programme for Biomedical Manufacturing Professionals and Manufacturing Operators.
b. This programme equips trainees with skills to take on new roles in the field of biopharmaceutical manufacturing, such as biotechnologists and production engineers.
c. I encourage AstraZeneca to tap on our schemes to further boost its talent pipeline, as it builds this facility and considers future expansions.
9. Third, to enable sustainable manufacturing. The global transition to a low-carbon and sustainable future will require companies to transform their operations.
a. To support companies on their decarbonisation journey, Singapore has launched initiatives such as the Resource Efficiency Grant for Emissions (REG(E)) to help companies adopt more energy-efficient technologies in order to reduce their emissions.
b. We will also work with companies like AstraZeneca to facilitate access to cleaner energy sources, to support their sustainability goals.
c. I am glad to note that this facility is designed to be net-zero from its first day of operations. This is aligned with Singapore’s push towards sustainable manufacturing and supports our commitment to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
Conclusion
10. Once again, let me congratulate AstraZeneca on this milestone and thank AstraZeneca for their commitment to Singapore. This investment will further bolster the vibrancy of Singapore’s biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector, and enhance our position as a leading biopharmaceutical hub for companies to innovate, manufacture, and commercialise their solutions.
11. I look forward to deepening our partnership to shape the future of healthcare and transform the lives of people here and globally.
12. Thank you.