GSK taps Singapore for green manufacturing ops

GlaxoSmithKline has green manufacturing ambitions and is putting up funds to achieve them. The drug giant has teamed with Singapore's Economic Development Board on projects to maximize resource efficiency and minimize waste in drug-making.

Environmental consciousness--which makes for great PR--is hardly the sole driver here. GSK is among the swelling ranks of drugmakers and their suppliers investing in sustainability and linking those efforts with process analytical technology initiatives. In fact, some see PAT as a means toward sustainability and green practices. Economics is the driver, via promised reductions in cycle times, energy use and costs.

Funding for the first eight projects--$3.5 million for research into chemical-, physical- and bio-transformations--comes from the $24-million GSK-Singapore Partnership for Green & Sustainable Manufacturing. The initiative is funded by a $35-million pot established by the collaborators: GSK's interest in manufacturing enhancements complements Singapore's goal of developing expertise in green and sustainable manufacturing.

The eight awards were made to principal investigators from the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the National University of Singapore (NUS). They are expected to recruit 17 post-doctoral and Ph.D researchers.

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