AstraZeneca plans to build a US$1.5 billion manufacturing facility in Singapore to produce antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and targeted cancer therapies, the British company announced on Monday (May 20). This facility will be AstraZeneca's first end-to-end ADC production site and will be supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). Specific details on potential financial incentives from the Singapore government were not disclosed.
"Singapore is one of the world's most attractive countries for investment given its reputation for excellence in complex manufacturing, and I am excited for AstraZeneca to locate our $1.5 billion ADC manufacturing facility in the country," said CEO Pascal Soriot in a statement.
AstraZeneca, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has been expanding into markets like China, Indonesia, and India to diversify its supply chain. Its breast cancer therapy, Enhertu, is manufactured by its partner Daiichi Sankyo in Japan. ADCs are engineered antibodies that bind to tumor cells and release cell-killing chemicals, involving a complex, multi-stage production process that includes generating the antibody, synthesizing the chemotherapy drug and its linker, conjugating these elements, and filling the completed ADC substance.
AstraZeneca's ADC portfolio includes six wholly owned ADCs in clinical trials and more in pre-clinical development. EDB chairman Png Cheong Boon welcomed AstraZeneca's investment, emphasizing its support for Singapore's development and manufacturing of precision medicines, as well as its potential to create jobs and economic opportunities. The biomedical sciences industry, comprising the biopharmaceutical and medical technology sectors, is a key contributor to Singapore’s economy. In 2022, this industry accounted for 2.3 percent of Singapore’s gross domestic product and produced nearly S$39 billion worth of products for the global market.
Construction of the AstraZeneca facility, the company's first manufacturing investment in Singapore, is expected to begin by the end of 2024, with operations slated to start in 2029. Notably, the facility will have zero carbon emissions from its first day of operations.