SCG Cell Therapy Pte Ltd (SCG) celebrated the official opening of its Cell Therapy cGMP Manufacturing Facility and R&D Centre at its headquarters in Singapore, on 19th July.

With the support of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the new facility leverages and extends SCG’s capabilities in advanced cell therapy manufacturing and off-the-shelf human-induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) technology. The facility will supply cell therapy products to partner hospitals in Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe.

Cell therapy list prices range from $373,000 to $475,000 (S$504,000 to S$640,000) depending on the specific drug and indication, and the demand outstrips supply. In a report entitled “Bold Goals for US Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing”, the US White House recently announced biotech-related “bold goals” to advance the development of cell therapy aiming to expand patient access to the treatments and decrease the manufacturing cost by 10-fold.

At the facility inauguration, Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry said, "As part of Singapore’s Manufacturing 2030 vision, we aim to position Singapore as a global business, innovation, and talent hub for advanced manufacturing. SCG Cell Therapy is one of our promising local startups. Apart from the cGMP facility, SCG Cell Therapy is also opening an R&D centre to facilitate the research of its pipeline of cell therapy product candidates. One of its key research areas targets hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated liver cancer. The opening of such R&D facilities will support the government’s vision and commitment to anchor Singapore as a global innovation node. "