World's largest bio-technology company, Amgen has said that it is planning to invest about US$200 million or about S$245 million in a new manufacturing facility in Singapore.

The new plant will initially focus on production of antibody-based drugs. The new facility will be build in the Tuas Bio-medical Park area of Singapore and the construction work on the facility will begin in the coming few months. It will be the company's first manufacturing facility in Asia.

The facility is set to expand the company's manufacturing capability for monoclonal antibodies that are used for identifying viruses and fighting diseases. The Economic Development Board (EDB) has extended its support for the plant project.

Mr. Madhu Balachandran, Amgen's Executive Vice-President of Operations pointed out that the company has chosen Singapore due to the rich talent pool and friendly business environment in the tiny South East Asian nation. The investment is further expected to boost Singapore's status as a biomedical sciences hub.

Amgen's decision to invest in the city points to the country's track record in biologics manufacturing and reaffirms its position as a leading hub in the sector.