BIOTECH giant Amgen broke ground for a $200 million manufacturing facility in Tuas Biomedical Park on Monday.

To be completed in 2015, the new facility, which will be capable of manufacturing both clinical and commercial products, will initially focus on making monoclonal antibodies.

"Singapore's rich talent pool and friendly business environment made it an ideal place to invest in a world-class manufacturing facility and to underscore our global expansion efforts," said Mr Madhu Balachandran, executive vice president of operations at Amgen.

With Amgen's latest investment, Singapore will soon be home to eight biologics manufacturing facilities worth $2.4 billion in fixed assets.

Mr Yeoh Keat Chuan, managing director of the Economic Development Board, said Singapore produces $25 billion worth of drugs, five times more than it did 10 years ago.