Baxter opens biologics facility in S'pore

Friday, August 8, 2014
By Rachael Boon

Global health-care giant Baxter International yesterday opened its first Asian biologics facility - and already has plans to extend the $370 million Woodlands plant.

The United States firm said its first Asian recombinant biologics manufacturing site, which began operations in January, makes medicine for haemophilia sufferers. Biologics are medicines made from organic material. 

Haemophilia is a rare genetic blood-clotting disorder. More than 200 people in Singapore have been diagnosed with variations of the disorder.

The new plant employs more than 400 production staff. Baxter expects the figure to rise to 450 by next year, to support an upcoming processing suite that will be added to the existing plant.

The new positions are for high-skilled biopharmaceutical jobs. The firm already employs more than 2,000 people here. It also has a medical equipment plant.

Mr. Juergen Wagner, plant manager of the Singapore site, said pharmaceutical firms here do face a challenge in finding skilled staff, but to meet Baxter;s labour needs, "we are working very closely with the Economic Development Board (EDB) and Workforce Development Agency on many training programmes". He said Baxter hires many fresh graduates who are put through these programmes, which to ease the labour crunch.

Corporate vice-president Jean-Luc Butel said the total investment value of the manufacturing site and upcoming production suite would come to $370 million.

He said the Government's "ability to understand the business needs of corporation like ours" was critical as Baxter wants to have manufacturing in Asia. Singapore was the "logical place to be", as it is poised to become Asia's biotech hub.

Singapore site is licensed to process and supply a product known as Advate to the European Union, Iceland and Norway.

EDB managing director Yeoh Keat Chuan, who officiated at the opening ceremony, said Baxter's investment bode well for the biomedical sciences industry, a "key pillar" of the economy here.

He said Singapore's biomedical sciences sector had grown by almost four times in output since 2000, and employs about 16,000 people today.

He expects at least 700 to 1,000 new jobs to be created in the biologics sector in the next 2-3 years.