MSD Joins A*STAR’s Manufacturing Consortium

Pharmaceutical giant MSD is the latest member of A*STAR’s iPSP, a program to boost productivity in the high value chemistry sector.

AsianScientist (Mar. 31, 2015) – MSD International GmbH, one of the top five pharmaceutical companies globally, has joined the Agency for Science, Technology and Research’s (A*STAR) Innovative Processing for Specialties and Pharmaceuticals Program (iPSP).

The consortium led by A*STAR’s Institute of Chemical & Engineering Sciences (ICES) brings together pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industry players to develop manufacturing technologies in high value chemicals manufacturing processes.

Since its inception in July 2013, iPSP has expanded its membership from its three founding members, Pfizer, Glaxo Smith-Kline (GSK) and Siemens, to include companies such as Hellma Analytics, Mettler Toledo and Novozymes, as well as academic institutions such as National University of Singapore (NUS) and Newcastle University International Singapore (NUIS).

“The objective of iPSP is to help develop mature process innovation capabilities and an innovation community in pharmaceutical and high value chemicals processing in Singapore. These new technologies will make industrial processes more efficient, safer and greener as well as helping industry to respond better to rapidly changing markets,” said Dr. Paul Sharratt, iPSP Director and Manager of the Pharmaceutical Program in ICES.

Based in ICES’ facility on Jurong Island, the iPSP’s multi-disciplinary team of researchers from ICES work with the consortium members on a range of pre-competitive projects in the fields of process science, continuous processing and process analytical technologies (PAT).

As part of its manpower development activities, the iPSP runs seminars and workshops on topics such as process intensification and organocatalysis. In addition to conducting four workshops and training sessions in 2014, the consortium organised a symposium on Process Safety with speakers from industry including renowned expert on process safety, Professor Francis Stoessel, recently retired Head of Chemical Process Safety Consulting of the Swiss Institute for the Promotion of Safety and Security in Basel.

In 2015, iPSP will continue engaging with the industry through courses and events such as a workshop on Small Scale Continuous Processing Technology and the second annual Process Safety Symposium.

Dr. Keith Carpenter, Executive Director of ICES, said, “We are indeed very happy to have another strong and reputable company like MSD come on board. The past year has shown that by identifying common research interests, companies across the sector can mutually benefit from joint research, from sharing common manufacturing issues and together charting a way forward.”

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Source: A*STAR.
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