BioNTech has announced that its Singapore affiliate BioNTech Pharmaceuticals Asia Pacific has entered into an agreement with Novartis Singapore Pharmaceutical Manufacturing to acquire one of its GMP-certified manufacturing facilities.

The acquisition is part of BioNTech’s expansion strategy to strengthen its global footprint in Asia. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the facility will serve as BioNTech’s Regional Headquarters and become its first mRNA manufacturing facility in Singapore.

BioNTech’s Singapore mRNA manufacturing facility will create regional manufacturing capacities in support of BioNTech’s growing pipeline of mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics across Asia Pacific region for both commercial and clinical scale, with the potential to expand the production to other drug classes, such as cell therapies.

The facility will be initially equipped to manufacture a range of mRNA-based product candidates as well as authorised vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases. This may include the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, as well as oncology product candidates if successfully developed and approved or authorised by regulatory authorities.

It is expected to create more than 100 jobs in Singapore by 2024 across multiple functions, including operations, engineering, quality, finance, human resources, as well as supply chain management, with recruiting starting immediately for first positions.