ASEANEWS HEADLINE-MEDICAL | SINGAPORE: Pharma giant Sanofi opens new $800m facility in Tuas, will expand hiring
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The 58,000 sq m plant will produce vaccines and other biopharmaceutical products such as enzymes and lab-grown antibodies. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
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SINGAPORE – A French pharmaceutical giant has opened a new $800 million manufacturing facility in Tuas Biomedical Park.
The 58,000 sq m plant – Sanofi’s second factory in Singapore – will produce vaccines and other biopharmaceutical products such as enzymes and laboratory-grown antibodies.
The new facility, called Modulus, will be fully operational by mid-2026. It will hire 200 people by 2026 in roles such as engineering, data analysis and tech.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingSanofi said Modulus is the world’s first “modular concept” facility. The plant can accommodate 34 production modules with interconnected equipment, allowing it to switch production between different vaccines and biopharmaceutical products within days.
Modulus site head Koh Liang Hong told The Straits Times on Nov 27 that Singapore was chosen for the new facility due to the country’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem, which supports the growth, innovation and sustainability goals of biopharmaceutical companies.
“Singapore is not just an economic hub, but also a technology and innovation hub,” he said.
Ads by:“To proceed with massive investments like Modulus, you need to have a whole ecosystem of suppliers of raw materials, of starters, of innovation technologies in the same area, which is what Singapore brings.”
Headquartered in Paris, Sanofi has operations in 100 countries and a global headcount of 91,000.
The company specialises in the production of general medicine, vaccines and speciality care.
It established its first operations in Singapore in 1970 with a small molecule manufacturing plant in Jurong and made the country its regional headquarters in 1997.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung noted at Modulus’ opening ceremony that Singapore hosts 60 manufacturing facilities, including those operated by eight of the world’s top 10 biopharmaceutical companies.
These facilities produce a wide range of drug modalities, from small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredients to biologics and cell therapies.
“Today, the sector is contributing over $19 billion in output, a threefold increase from 20 years ago, and a significant employment of 9,000 personnel,” Mr Ong said.
He added that Modulus will further strengthen Singapore’s collaboration in pandemic preparedness and response.
“This is especially important now, post-Covid-19 pandemic. There is a swell of pandemic nationalism after Covid-19, as many countries now justifiably aspire to develop and produce their own national vaccines,” he said.
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Mr Ong noted that Singapore, through the Economic Development Board, draws international, “best-in-class” companies like Sanofi to further invest and build up capabilities here.
“We are doing this not despite having a small local market, but because we have a small local market,” he said.
“Because with a modest domestic demand, coupled with Singapore’s role as an international hub, an investment here is well-positioned to serve broader regional and global needs.”
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Sanofi’s new facility comes amid major global pharmaceutical firms expanding here in 2024.
In March, Novartis announced that it will spend US$256 million (S$344 million) to enlarge its existing manufacturing plant.
AstraZeneca followed in May, with plans for a US$1.5 billion facility, slated to open in 2029.
In July, Pfizer opened a $1 billion manufacturing plant to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients for the company’s cancer, pain and antibiotics medicine.
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