Pharma companies partner to boost biologics and vaccines manufacturing in Asia Pacific region

Pharma News: Leading pharma companies will partner with research communities to boost Asia Pacific’s biologics manufacturing capabilities.

Sanofi, Takeda and GSK’s partnership will be formalised through the Biologics Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (BioPIPS), a consortium initiated by Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) with support from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

In serving the broader Asia Pacific region, BioPIPS seeks to use research and innovation to grow Singapore’s manufacturing capabilities for biologics, which include recombinant therapeutic proteins, and vaccines. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, biologics and vaccines played a critical role globally in preventing severe disease and saving lives.

The consortium will bring together leading industry experts and Singapore’s research ecosystem to enhance manufacturing productivity, improve operational efficiency and achieve sustainability goals. The consortium ultimately aims to make Singapore’s biologics manufacturing capabilities best-in-class and well-positioned for the introduction of new products and novel manufacturing technologies.

“Sanofi is building a next generation manufacturing site, the EVolutive Facility, in Singapore, which will bring advanced digital and modular vaccine production capabilities to the Asia region. The BioPIPS programme’s focus on transforming biologics and vaccines manufacturing through pre-competitive partnerships is aligned with Sanofi’s vision for the EVolutive Facility, to continuously push the envelope of innovation for biopharmaceutical manufacturing,” said Koh Liang Hong, Site Head, EVolutive Facility, Sanofi.

Specifically, BioPIPS will have three workstreams focussed on workstreams that harness machine learning, tackling sustainability challenges and removal of manual tasks to achieve greater productivity.

“The objectives of BioPIPS are aligned to Takeda’s ambitions of being net carbon zero in our operations by 2035 and how we can tap on data, digital and technology to transform our manufacturing site. We look forward to this partnership with Singapore’s research ecosystem to further strengthen our capabilities, and discover new and sustainable ways to develop and manufacture innovative medicine to deliver on Takeda’s commitment to Patient, People and Planet,” said George Lam, Site Head, Takeda Manufacturing Singapore.

BioPIPS is in line with Singapore’s Manufacturing 2030 vision, which aims to anchor leading manufacturing activities to grow the country’s manufacturing value-add by 50% from 2020. The solutions developed through BioPIPS will also enhance Singapore’s capabilities to meet the growing global demand for biologics and vaccines, as well as equip pharmaceutical companies here with the resources to scale up and respond more rapidly to future pandemics.

“New opportunities will emerge as the biomanufacturing industry undergoes major changes brought about by the rapid pace of digitalisation, Industry 4.0, and the need for greater sustainability. As Singapore makes biopharma production a priority area in its Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan, A*STAR aims to contribute our R&D capabilities through BioPIPS to help make the local biomanufacturing industry become more agile and better positioned to benefit from new products and technologies,” said Professor Lim Keng Hui, Assistant Chief Executive, Science and Engineering Research Council, A*STAR.

BioPIPS builds on the consortium model established by the Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (PIPS), which was set up to boost Singapore’s capabilities for manufacturing of small molecule drugs made of chemical compounds.

“Riding on the success of PIPS, BioPIPS aims to enhance Singapore’s innovation capabilities in biologics and vaccines manufacturing by leveraging the strengths of our leading pharmaceutical companies and institutes of higher learning. The programme will develop highly productive, sustainable and advanced production technologies and solutions. We look forward to deepening partnerships with like-minded companies to strengthen Singapore’s position as a global biopharma manufacturing hub,” said Tan Kong Hwee, Executive Vice President, Economic Development Board (EDB).

“By collaborating to tackle common challenges, we can leverage diverse skills and capabilities to create a sustainable manufacturing environment in Singapore. We also look forward to developing new ways to monitor and control our processes and automate our manufacturing operations,” said Chan Siong Wan, Site Director, GSK.

“National University of Singapore (NUS) is delighted to be a member of BioPIPS, contributing our capabilities in areas such as biocatalysis, reactor manufacturing, and digital factory. By leveraging the complementary strengths of A*STAR, EDB, the academia and the pharmaceutical industry, we can create a strong technology foundation for innovations that will bring about compelling improvements in productivity, operational efficiency and sustainability practices in Singapore’s biopharma manufacturing sector,” said Professor Thorsten Wohland, Director, Research Governance and Enablement, Office of the Deputy President (Research and Technology), NUS.

“Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) is excited to be part of BioPIPS, which will inject next-generation process innovation into the local pharmaceutical industry. This partnership will allow SIT to strengthen its applied research capabilities in sustainable biopharma manufacturing technologies. Under this initiative, SIT will explore opportunities to work with manufacturers to apply digitalisation for process optimisation and better regulatory oversight while incorporating environmental considerations to progress production processes for the pharmaceutical industry,” said Associate Professor Susanna Leong, Vice President (Applied Research), SIT.

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