NORTH CHICAGO, Ill., Nov. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) has acquired a small molecule active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing site in Singapore's Tuas Biomedical Park. 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. This reflects progress from AbbVie's announcement for manufacturing investment in Asia earlier this year.
"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.
As announced in February of this year, AbbVie will also construct a bulk biologics manufacturing facility on the property. The biologics facility is expected to be operational in 2019. The combined facilities will increase AbbVie's headcount by more than 250 new employees, including skilled positions across manufacturing, technical operations, administration, quality, information technology and supply chain. Renovation of the small molecule facility and hiring for multiple positions are currently in process.
"Singapore offers a neutral and trusted location for pharmaceutical companies to orchestrate and expand their operations across the region," said Kevin Lai, Executive Director, Biomedical Sciences and Consumer Businesses of the Singapore Economic Development Board. "We continue to see strong growth in biopharmaceutical manufacturing as companies, such as AbbVie, choose Singapore to launch and manufacture their high value-added products for the region and beyond."
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 and Puerto Rico, as well as strategic partnerships with third-party manufacturers.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-based biopharmaceutical company formed in 2013 following separation from Abbott. The company's mission is to use its expertise, dedicated people and unique approach to innovation to develop and market advanced therapies that address some of the world's most complex and serious diseases. AbbVie employs approximately 25,000 people worldwide and markets medicines in more than 170 countries. For further information on the company and its people, portfolio and commitments, please visit www.abbvie.com. Follow @abbvie on Twitter or view careers on our Facebook or LinkedIn page.