British multinational pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca intends to build a $1.5 billion manufacturing facility in Singapore for antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), enhancing global supply of its ADC portfolio. ADCs are next-generation treatments that deliver highly potent cancer-killing agents directly to cancer cells through a targeted antibody.

AstraZeneca has a broad portfolio of in-house ADCs including six wholly owned ADCs in the clinic and many more in preclinical development. Manufacturing of ADCs is a multi-step process that comprises antibody production, synthesis of chemotherapy drug and linker, conjugation of drug-linker to the antibody, and filling of the completed ADC substance.

Png Cheong Boon, Chairman, EDB said, "We welcome AstraZeneca's decision to establish a manufacturing presence in Singapore for the first time. It will also be a first for AstraZeneca – an end-to-end manufacturing facility for novel antibody drug conjugates that enables precision therapy for cancer. This greenfield investment is a strong show of confidence in Singapore's biopharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and talent, strengthens our ecosystem in supporting the development and manufacturing of precision medicines, and creates meaningful jobs and economic opportunities for Singapore. We look forward to a successful partnership with AstraZeneca."

Pascal Soriot, Chief Executive Officer, AstraZeneca, said “AstraZeneca has built an industry-leading portfolio of cancer medicines including antibody drug conjugates which have shown enormous potential to replace traditional chemotherapy for patients across many settings”.