News Year: 2025

The Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Santen Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a global pharmaceutical company committed to eye health headquartered in Osaka, Japan have launched the Santen–SERI Open Innovation Center (SONIC) 2.0, a next-generation research collaboration designed to accelerate translational development of first-in-class, disease-modifying therapies for vision-threatening eye diseases.

Global pharma companies are looking to Asia for innovation as they consider what’s next to bolster their pipelines, including sourcing of “Best-in-Class” and “First-in-Class” assets that are high quality, robust, pre-clinical, and built on human data.

The United States and Europe have traditionally anchored the global biotechnology (biotech) industry, with the combination of robust academic science, ready venture capital, and regulatory influence making them natural centres for innovation.

International biotech venture capital (VC) firms are flocking to Singapore, drawn by the Asia-Pacific region’s growing life sciences sector, with one more European VC confirmed to set up operations before year-end.

When Chugai Pharmaceutical set up its first overseas research base in Singapore in 2012, it brought with it a bold ambition: to turn cutting-edge science into breakthrough therapies for patients everywhere.

There may be a lot of uncertainty in how politics and economics in the region will play out over time, especially amid a tussle between China and the United States, but one of Asia’s largest integrated healthcare solutions providers Zuellig Pharma is undeterred in building resilient operations.

Alcon, the global leader in eye care dedicated to helping people see brilliantly, today announced the official opening of its expanded state-of-the-art manufacturing and logistics facility in Tuas Biomedical Park, Singapore. The event was held in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of Alcon’s operations in Singapore, a meaningful milestone that highlights two decades of innovation, high-precision manufacturing, and a commitment to improving lives through better vision.

As a pharmacist in Singapore’s public sector, Marshall Liu Mao Sheng was intrigued by how technology could improve efficiency in healthcare. He decided to go into healthtech – leading him to a role in one of the world’s best-known global healthcare companies Novo Nordisk.