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Press Release / May 20, 1996

Contrast Media and Custom Services are two key areas in Hovione's strategic analysis document

Contrast Media is one of two important areas that Hovione defined as key in its 1994 I&DEIA XXI strategic analysis document, the other being offering custom services to the US majors.

Hovione is a technology rich company excelling in both difficult chemistry as well as GMP and regulatory affairs.

By always tackling the products that others were not interested in because of their difficulty and always taking a pro-active attitude to meeting (instead of avoiding) FDA's increasing severity and tough standards, Hovione is now well equipped to serve the outsourcing needs of the largest US pharmaceuticals companies.

Contrast media is an area where no independent manufacturer of bulk existed, the first products to come off patent did so less than 12 months ago, so it was an obvious area where Hovione's skills could be turned into dollars. The surprise was how technically difficult this really was. A team of 60 researchers at Hovione worked non-stop for three years.

Contrast media is an area of very high barriers to entry: one needs large capacity (to be a player you need a capacity well in excess of 50 tonnes/year), great technical competence (to meet purity levels of 99.8% and near sterile quality of tonne size batches), know-how and the industrial scale technology to recycle tens of thousands of tonnes of solvents, and last but certainly not least you need to have the ability to prepare tens of kilos of paper meeting every one of FDA's requirements.

These products are in many occasions injected, in a single dose, in quantities of 150g. This is the largest parenteral administration of a chemical to a human. Clearly an area only for the most competent and quality generic firms, the market perceives Hovione as such a company.

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Twenty companies presented at the annual kickoff to DCAT Week. The Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) opened DCAT Week 2026 with its Member Company Announcement Forum. The kickoff to the annual event in New York City, underway from March 23–26, 2026, showcased 20 companies. These were selected based on their announcements’ “news priority, criticality, and interest” to DCAT member companies. The following is a summary of highlights from the presentations, supplemented by additional information provided by some of the companies. (...) Hovione Hovione’s Vice President of Technical Operations for the Americas, David Basile, delivered the company’s Member Company Announcement Forum presentation. Basile will be speaking exclusively with Contract Pharma during DCAT Week, so check back for more on Hovione’s latest.   Read the full article at ContractPharma.com    

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With more than six decades of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, Hovione is an international CDMO offering a comprehensive range of services for New Molecular Entities (NMEs), including drug substances, intermediates, and drug products. The company also supplies niche generic APIs and delivers advanced technologies supporting multiple drug delivery platforms, including oral, injectable, inhalation, and topical formulations.  Today, Hovione employs 2,500 people worldwide and operates 900 m3 of manufacturing capacity across four sites in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Japan has played an important role in the company’s global strategy since its early years. Initial export activities were followed in 2017 by the establishment of a Japanese subsidiary in Osaka.   Read the full article in Japanese at Yakuji.co.jp Read the article translated in English  

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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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