To provide further boost to Singapore’s pharma sector the country’s Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran announced the launch of the Pharma Innovation Programme Singapore (Pips). The programme will focus on areas such as continuous manufacturing, bio-catalysis, process analytical technology and advanced process control.

 The industry development scheme was initiated by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star) in partnership with the National University of Singapore, with pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline, MSD International and Pfizer Asia Pacific joining in the programme as pioneer members.

 The investment in pharmaceuticals is a part of the Government's five-year Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2020 plan, which commits to injecting S$3.2 billion into advanced manufacturing and engineering. Through the program, the government aims to transform the manufacturing operations and technologies of the pharma industry. This includes enabling green and sustainable manufacturing through the use of bio-catalysis technologies, as well as developing a fully-automated supply chain that can predict and react to patient demands and market trends.

 Speaking at the Future of Manufacturing Summit where the MOU was signed Mr Iswaran said, "Pips will bring together Singapore's public sector research capabilities and the domain expertise of key players in the pharma industry to improve and transform the manufacturing operations and technologies of the industry," as quoted by the Straits Times.

Partnerships are key to building up the Republic as a global leader in manufacturing, said the minister.

He added: "Given the complex and dynamic nature of the future of manufacturing, it is important for us to strengthen the partnerships within the local manufacturing ecosystem in order to pool resources, share risk and increase adoption rates."