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(L-R) Dr Loo Choon Yong, Executive Chairman, Raffles Medical Group Ltd; S Iswaran, Minister of State for Trade and Industry; and Jeff Kindler, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. at the opening ceremony of the research unit.
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Having established a Phase 1 Clinical Research Unit in Singapore five years ago, Pfizer recently invested more than S$60 million (US$43.3 million) to expand the capabilities of its Clinical Research Unit at Raffles Hospital.
The Pfizer Clinical Research Unit (PCRU) is a critical component of the company's global clinical research network, comprising a third of Pfizer's global trials capacity. It is also the company's flagship Phase 1 Clinical Research Unit in Asia, and one of only three worldwide.
Occupying a floor area of more than 3,000 sq m and housing more than 50 inpatient beds, the unit is the largest clinical research facility in Singapore. "Our state-of-the-art clinical research unit will allow us to undertake more clinical trials and speed up the introduction of new medicines for patients in Asia and around the world," says Jeff Kindler, Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc.
The PCRU, which conducts multi-therapeutic research to facilitate the rapid introduction of new medicines, is the basic building block for Pfizer's work in addressing disease areas and bringing quality healthcare to patients globally. Pfizer's search for new treatments spans hundreds of research projects across 11 therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, infectious diseases, urology and sexual health, pain, inflammation and oncology.
The sophisticated set-up of the PCRU enables results in Singapore to be shared globally within 24 hours. This ability to analyse trial results and review trial methodologies in real-time, gives Pfizer an edge in accelerating the research cycle.
"Singapore aims to host more of such world-leading translational and clinical research activities," says S Iswaran, Minister of State for Trade and Industry. "Pharmaceutical companies are expected to continue making significant R&D investments in Asia over the coming decade, and Pfizer's decision reinforces Singapore's position as a key R&D investment destination in Asia."
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