Press Room

Press Release / Jun 01, 1999

40 Years of Expertise in API Chemistry

This year Hovione celebrates its 40th anniversary

This year Hovione celebrates its 40th anniversary in the field of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) chemistry and, simultaneously, establishes the basis of its strategy for the next millenium.

We have chosen this date to mark a milestone in the evolution of the Company, so as to represent the maturity we have attained as we look back over two generations of progressive growth. Celebrating the past and the future, Hovione assesses it’s management system, strategy and image to reflect our experience as well as our technical and scientific competence. Our future success, like our past, will be based on enhancing our API expertise and on meeting the continuous challenges of the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Hovione was founded in Portugal in 1959 by a Hungarian chemist, Ivan Villax, who carried out investigation in the field of semi-synthetic tetracyclines and anti-inflammatory corticosteroids. Behind us are 40 years of accumulated API knowledge described in over 100 innovative process chemistry patents. As we continue to focus on the development and production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, the Company feels well positioned to meet the outsourcing needs of the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Hovione has carved a niche for itself synthesizing complex APIs which are highly regulated. Our objectives demand the highest standards of professional competency. Combining focused expertise with quality and state-of-the-art technology, Hovione has become an essential provider to Pharmaceutical Companies worldwide.

Hovione not only garantees the development of chemical processes and industrial synthesis of APIs, but offers its customers the technical services that include:

  • Lab scale development
  • Optimization and validation of chemical processes at pilot and industrial scale
  • Kilo-lab and pilot-scale regulated production, including clinical supplies
  • Analytical method development and validation
  • Regulatory filings for IND, NDA (DMF or CMC sections) world-wide
  • Manufacturing contracts for tens of kilos to tens of tons

Over the past 10 years Hovione’s evolution entered a new phase as a result of our medium term project, I&DEIA XXI, made possible by the availability of European Community funds destined towards the innovation of Portuguese Industry. In 1987 Hovione had worldwide sales of US$14m and employed a staff of 280. Today, after an investment of over US$45m, the Company invoices about US$50m and employs 500 people. During the last decade, Hovione achieved an increased professionalism in market analysis and product development strategy, and evolved from a family orientated concern to a model of professional and global management.

Hovione’s business strategy is based on a deeply rooted knowledge of our target markets: the U.S.A., Japan and the EU. Our factory in Macau, established 15 years ago, benefits from its proximity to the People’s Republic of China for the supply of raw materials.

Hovione exports 100% of its production to the most demanding markets in the world, half of which are of products launched less than 5 years’ ago. We invest 8% of sales in R&D, 6% in environmental protection and 5% in quality. Our plants are ISO9000 certified and regularly inspected by the US Food and Drug Administration.

With 500 staff worldwide, of which a 100 are at the plant in Macau, Hovione is happy and proud to celebrate 40 years of expertise in API chemistry.

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In an interview with Executiva, a portuguese media outlet focused on women´s leadership, Diane Villax, co-founder and long-standing leader of Hovione, reflects on her journey and the company’s development over more than six decades. Diane Villax’s career began at a time when few women worked outside the home. At 19, she joined a trading company as a foreign languages correspondent, where she developed essential business skills — including commercial correspondence, banking and export procedures — that later proved instrumental in helping her husband, Ivan Villax, establish Hovione in 1959. From its earliest days operating in the family home in Lisbon, Hovione adopted an international outlook. The company’s first major customers were in Japan, setting demanding quality standards that helped shape its long-term position in global markets. Over the following decades, Hovione expanded its footprint with the construction of its first manufacturing site in Loures (1969), followed by expansion to Macau (1986), the United States (New Jersey, early 2000s) and Ireland (Cork). The company grew into a global organization with more than 2,500 employees — including over 300 scientists — and a reputation as a preferred supplier to leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Throughout the interview, Diane highlights the values that have guided the company’s development: a commitment to excellence, a strong work ethic, and a focus on quality and long-term relationships. Although she did not have formal business training, she learned “on the job” and brought discipline, precision and structure to her role — particularly in the company’s early financial and administrative leadership. Now in her nineties and an active member of Hovione’s Board of Directors, Diane Villax remains engaged with the company’s evolution and governance, reflecting a continued commitment to its long-term development. Her story reflects entrepreneurial drive, resilience and long-term leadership — and offers insight into the values that have shaped Hovione’s trajectory for more than six decades. Read the full interview at Executiva.pt (in portuguese).    

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