Thermo Fisher partners EDB for US$130m sterile fill-and-finish facility
Singapore
THERMO Fisher Scientific's plans to build a new US$130 million sterile fill-and-finish facility in Singapore, with the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), will create some 300 jobs once operational in 2022.
The investment is an "important addition to the manufacturing capacity needed by global pharmaceutical and vaccine companies in the ongoing fight against Covid-19," EDB chairman Beh Swan Gin said in a press release late last week.
New York-listed Thermo Fisher plans to develop two new sterile filling lines in Singapore to extend capacity to the Asia-Pacific region for the development and manufacture of therapies and vaccines.
The facility will be operated by Thermo Fisher and will have the capability to make pharmaceutical products to meet the region's demand, and respond effectively to future health emergencies.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of government and industry collaboration to protect citizens by ensuring the availability of critical diagnostic tests, therapies and vaccines," said Marc Casper, chairman, CEO and president of Thermo Fisher.
"This partnership enables us to expand our sterile fill finish network in the region while strengthening the Singapore government's ability to respond quickly to future health crises."
The new facility will initially include a high-speed sterile line approved for live virus filling - the first such large-scale capability in Singapore - followed by an additional line for standard fill or finish.
The facility will also have cleanroom capacity, labs, warehousing and offices to support production. Once operational in 2022, the facility could manufacture up to 30 million sterile doses per month and employ more than 300 people.
Dr Beh said that Singapore strongly welcomes Thermo Fisher's decision to establish its new sterile fill finish facility here.
On his LinkedIn page on Friday, he added that he looks forward to partnering Thermo Fisher and other global pharmaceutical and vaccine companies in the fight against Covid-19 and future pandemics.
Thermo Fisher established a research and development (R&D) team in Singapore to focus on instrument engineering more than a decade ago. Today, the company has grown the local R&D team to more than 100 members.
It also works with Singapore-based design firms, universities and research institutions in the development of instrument platforms. In all, Thermo Fisher has more than 1,200 staff spread across its manufacturing, R&D and regional headquarters teams in Singapore.
