Biopharmaceutical company AbbVie acquires manufacturing site in Tuas Biomedical Park

It’s the company’s first manufacturing facility in Asia.

Reflecting progress from AbbVie's announcement for manufacturing investment in Asia earlier this year, AbbVie Inc. has acquired a small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing site in Singapore's Tuas Biomedical Park.

According to a media release, the facility will expand the company's global operations for small molecule and biologics manufacturing, providing increased capacity for compounds within AbbVie's immunology and oncology pipelines. 

"The Singapore site will help to strengthen our global manufacturing capabilities, offering a higher degree of flexibility and scale," said Azita Saleki-Gerhardt, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Operations, AbbVie. "The facility will support new technologies and the growth of our pipeline in immunology and oncology, helping us to address significant unmet medical needs for patients around the world."

The Singapore site, AbbVie's first manufacturing facility in Asia, is approximately 120,000 square meters and includes a contained API facility, additional buildings and ancillary equipment. The API facility is expected to be fully operational by 2016.

AbbVie's current operations in Asia include research and development (R&D) functions in Tokyo, Japan, and Shanghai, China, as well as commercial operations throughout the region. AbbVie's existing presence in Singapore has grown to include 160 personnel, supporting commercial operations, global R&D and general operations. AbbVie expanded to new commercial premises in Singapore in July and is steadily increasing its presence in Singapore as a regional hub.

AbbVie's manufacturing network now includes thirteen sites across the United States, Europe, Asia andPuerto Rico, as well as strategic partnerships with third-party manufacturers.