November 20, 2014
By Krystle Vermes, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
Biopharmaceutical company Amgen announced today that it has completed construction of a new biomanufacturing facility in Singapore. The location will be responsible for developing medicine dedicated to treating severe diseases.
“At Amgen, we are reinventing what it means to manufacture biologic medicines,” said Robert Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer of Amgen. “Singapore is an ideal place to invest in such a pioneering facility because of its talented workforce and commitment to the biotechnology industry.”
The facility will incorporate multiple technologies to enable greater speed, productivity and flexibility in terms of commercial scale manufacturing for Amgen. The building itself was completed within two years, which is about half the time that an average biomanufacturing company would take to be finished.
In addition, the building was constructed to use less energy and water, as well as reduce the amount of solid waste and emissions that come from the structure. That being said, it will still have the same annual output as a conventional facility. It uses bioreactors, disposable plastic containers and continuous purification processing. Furthermore, this design is easily replicated, meaning future facilities could be just as eco-friendly and productive.
“Amgen‘s decision to locate its first commercial-scale facility in Singapore, which utilizes their suite of breakthrough biomanufacturing technologies, is a testament to Singapore’s capabilities as a high quality, future ready, global biopharmaceutical hub,” said Yeoh Keat Chuan, managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board. “EDB will continue to invest in talent, process capabilities and new technologies to support the strong growth in this sector.”
At the end of October, Amgen outlined its upcoming plans for 2015 and beyond, showing promise to its investors. Amgen stated that it is planning to pay out approximately 60 percent of its adjusted net income on average to shareholders through 2018. Additionally, it projected $1.5 billion in annual savings by 2018, and announced its plans to launch four high-potential innovative drugs in 2015.
“This is an exciting new era for Amgen,” said Bradway. “We are on the cusp of an important new product cycle with our rich pipeline of innovative and biosimilar medicines that address important societal needs. Our significantly expanded global presence and new biomanufacturing technologies give us confidence that Amgen is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the latest wave of opportunity for innovative biologic therapies.”
