Baxter Opens its First State-of-the-Art Biologics Facility in Asia, Announces Expansion Plans with New Processing Suite
Baxter International Inc. has opened its first advanced recombinant biologic facility in Singapore, and announced expansion plans for a new recombinant protein processing suite.
The current suite supports the processing of ADVATE [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant)], the market leading full-length recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) worldwide for the treatment of patients with hemophilia A. The second suite will initially process RIXUBIS [Coagulation Factor IX (Recombinant)], a recombinant factor IX (rFIX) protein for the treatment of adults with hemophilia B and, when operational, will be the primary global commercial processing facility. It will also support production of the company's investigational extended half-life recombinant FVIII treatment BAX 855 upon regulatory approval.
The announcement strengthens Baxter's leadership in hemophilia and underscores its commitment to increasing access to therapy and improving standards of care for hemophilia patients globally. In total, the establishment of the facility and new investment will have created 450 biopharmaceutical jobs by 2015 in Singapore.
"As a long-standing, established leader in the global hemophilia community, Baxter has focused efforts on improving standards of care for people with hemophilia," said Ludwig Hantson, PhD, president of Baxter BioScience. "The opening of the Singapore facility reinforces our continued commitment to expanding access to advanced, high quality treatments for patients around the world."
"Baxter's expansion of its biologics footprint in Singapore reinforces our position as a leading biologics hub. This facility will support Baxter's growth in the global market and Singapore celebrates its opening. Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) will continue to invest in talent development, supporting infrastructure and new technologies to support the biologics sector," said Mr Yeoh Keat Chuan, managing director at the Singapore Economic Development Board, who officiated the opening ceremony.
The Singapore facility received regulatory approval from the European Medicines Agency in January 2014 for the production of ADVATE2. This allows the facility to process and supply ADVATE to the EU, Iceland and Norway. The biologics facility in Singapore currently employs more than 400 production staff and expects to reach 450 by 2015 to support the second processing suite. The facility is the third location in the world supporting ADVATE processing, making this the only recombinant factor VIII treatment processed at three separate sites and providing unprecedented security of a triple-source capability.
Speaking at the opening of the facility, Jean-Luc Butel, corporate vice president and president of Baxter's International operations said: "Singapore's biotech industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years and Baxter is proud to have been a part of this journey. Baxter is grateful to the SEDB for their support in establishing this facility and for its commitment to collaborations that advance access to quality healthcare. As we have invested in training our employees to support this state-of-the-art technology, we remain committed to partnering with the SEDB and other government agency partners to elevate the quality of the healthcare workforce in Singapore."
Related News
-
News Pharmapack Awards 2024 Patient-Centric Design Award Winner – Dr Ferrer BioPharma
The 2024 Pharmapack Awards celebrated the best in innovation and design for the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery industry on January 24, 2024. -
News Women in Pharma: Minding the Gap at Pharmapack 2024
2024 marks the first year Pharmapack will host a Diversity track dedicated to bridging the gap within the pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery sector. The track includes a panel discussion on 'Enabling Diversity in the Workplace,' focused... -
News Pharmapack Awards 2024 - Celebrating Packaging and Drug Delivery Innovation
The 2024 Pharmapack Innovation Awards ceremony celebrated the best in pharmaceutical packaging and drug delivery innovation at all levels. The awards were held on January 24, 2024 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. -
News 2024 Pharma Industry Trends Outlook: Collaboration, Market Maturity, and Digital Futures
The annual CPHI Online 2024 Pharma Trends Outlook, in partnership with Arvato Systems, identifies 12 key industry trends shaping the life sciences industry in the coming year. -
News New Novo Nordisk AI hub for drug discovery to open in London, UK
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk will be opening an AI-based research facility in the heart of London to advance drug discovery operations. -
News BioNTech to begin mRNA vaccine manufacturing in Rwanda by 2025
German biotechnology company BioNTech has stated their intentions to begin production at their mRNA vaccine factory in Rwanda by 2025, which will mark the first foreign mRNA vaccine manufacturing site on the continent of Africa. -
News Women in Pharma: Looking back on 2023 and moving forward to 2024
In this monthly series, we interview women from across the pharmaceutical industry and supply chain to discuss the importance of gender diversity in healthcare, the workplace, and beyond. -
News CPHI Barcelona 2023: Partnering for Success – Managing Outsourcing Relationships to Optimise Manufacturing Operations
During CPHI Barcelona 2023, insightful content sessions offered attendees the chance to explore trending topics with expert speakers and panellists. Here, we summarise what the pharma industry and supply chain are talking about the most.
Position your company at the heart of the global Pharma industry with a CPHI Online membership
-
Your products and solutions visible to thousands of visitors within the largest Pharma marketplace
-
Generate high-quality, engaged leads for your business, all year round
-
Promote your business as the industry’s thought-leader by hosting your reports, brochures and videos within your profile
-
Your company’s profile boosted at all participating CPHI events
-
An easy-to-use platform with a detailed dashboard showing your leads and performance