SINGAPORE, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Belgium-based Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) Biologicals, a vaccine manufacturer in the renowned GSK group, started building a facility in Singapore Thursday with an investment of over 300 million Singapore dollars (about 190 million U.S. dollars).

    Said to be GSK's largest vaccine manufacturing investment in Asia, the plant will be "one of its only two facilities worldwide for producing bulk bacterial pediatric vaccines against infectious diseases, such as meningitis and typhoid," according to Singapore's Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

    Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Khaw said that GSK's plant, Singapore's first vaccine manufacturing facility, will add to the city state's growing base of biologics manufacturing activities and enhance its capability to fight against the spread of infectious diseases.

    Headquartered in Britain and with operations based in the United States, the GSK group has an estimated seven percent of the world's pharmaceutical market share. It has invested more that 1 billion Singapore dollars (about 632 million U.S. dollars) in fixed asset in Singapore. Enditem