Mundipharma’s new Betadine Consumer Health Hub opens in Singapore
Another boost in Singapore’s booming biomedical sector has been delivered by Mundipharma’s announcement on May 13 of a planned7,300-square meter facility in Tuas at an official groundbreaking ceremony attended by Minister of State for Trade & Industry, Dr. KohPoh Koon. Mundipharma is a company dedicated to providing novel treatment options in fields such as pain, oncology, ophthalmology, respiratory disease, rheumatoid arthritis and antiseptics to patients with severe and debilitating diseases.
The new facility will be the world’s first Betadine Consumer Health Hub that combines R&D, manufacturing and distribution. The povidone-iodine-based solution has been trusted by hospitals, doctors and consumers around the world for more than 60 years, and the new facility will produce the equivalent of approximately one billion applications of Betadine treatments annually to meet increased demand in the region.
In vitro studies have proven that Betadine kills the viruses associated with diseases including Ebola, MERS, SARS, Influenza and Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. Research shows that the number of outbreaks and types of disease have both increased significantly in recent times. Many, including Ebola, are difficult to predict, and their spread has been accelerated by travel, urbanization and the interconnected nature of today’s world.
Manufacturing Betadine in Singapore will enable Mundipharma to respond quickly to regional health crises, while the R&D function will seek new solutions to meet the unique healthcare challenges faced by an increasingly globalized region.
Mundipharma President of Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East & Africa, Raman Singh, said, “Given the accelerating demand for essential treatments, and 70% of new demand projected to come from Asia, it’s critical to have a strategically positioned manufacturing capability supported by an R&D function that is dedicated to unique characteristics of the region it supports.
“Mundipharma shares the rising sense of responsibility in the pharmaceuticals sector to ensure that the emerging world has equal access to innovation and supply as the more mature Western economies. Singapore is ideally placed to deliver on this goal,” he added.
Mundipharma, which already has its regional headquarters in Singapore, has achieved significant growth over the past four years, and is proud to be part of the city-state’s dynamic business landscape.
“We welcome Mundipharma’s strong commitment to Singapore. This is testament to Singapore’scapabilities to partner companies in both the production and development of innovative medicines toaddress global healthcare needs. The vibrant Biomedical Sciences ecosystem in Singapore makes it a choice location for companies to carry out manufacturing, R&D and commercial headquarters activities in one place”, said WengSi Ho, Director, Biomedical Sciences, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).
A further demonstration of Mundipharma’s commitment to the region, the highly-automated new facility will feature cutting-edge technology and house six Betadineproduction lines, creating demand for a range of jobs. The facility will be operational in January 2018.
