Novartis Invests $256 million in Singapore Facility to Address “Soaring Demand”

• Novartis expand its biopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Singapore to focus on antibody drugs to serve Asian markets.

Novartis has announced a significant expansion of its biopharmaceutical manufacturing site in Singapore. The company is investing US$256 million to enhance its manufacturing productivity, improve operational efficiency, and upskill its workforce.

The expansion is a strategic move to address the ‘soaring demand’ in the Asian market. The expanded site will focus on manufacturing therapeutic antibody drugs, aiming to deliver breakthrough treatments to patients globally.

“In the next phase of growth for the biopharma sector, we should seek to make manufacturing more sustainable and productive, as well as to make products that are more targeted, precise and effective,” remarked Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies.

Steffen Lang, President of Operations at Novartis, stated, “Biotherapeutics now account for almost one-half of all recent drug approvals and have enormous potential to address unmet needs of patients across a wide range of diseases. To meet this increasing demand for biologics, the Novartis early-stage biologics portfolio has been growing significantly in terms of capacities and investment. Our new facility in Singapore, which will be operational by early 2026, is timely and will help in bolstering the biopharmaceutical manufacturing and supply chain across Asia as well as strengthen local capabilities and upskill talent in Singapore.”