MERCK EXPANDING OPERATIONS IN SINGAPORE

Pharmaceutical giant Merck is expanding its production facilities in Singapore. The company will pump in an additional $100 million (Singapore) into its Singapore operations, bringing its overall investment to over $1 billion (Singapore).

The new facilities at its existing 49-acre site in Tuas Biomedical Park are in the final stages of construction. They are scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of the year.

The Agency for Science, Technology & Research or has said Merck's latest investment underscores Singapore's position as a globally competitive strategic manufacturing site for the pharmaceuticals industry.

Merck's Tuas plant was opened six years ago, with a 15,000-square-meter formulation facility added in 2003. The latest expansion is intended for the manufacture of new medicines that are in late-stage development.