Press Room

Top Employer certification applies across all of Hovione’s manufacturing sites in Portugal, the US, Ireland and China Certification highlights significant progress made by Hovione in these key areas: Employer Branding, Digital HR, DEI, Leadership, Learning, Sustainability, Well-being, and Work Environment   Lisbon, Portugal, January 15, 2026 - Hovione, an international integrated pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organization, has achieved Top Employer certification across all four of its manufacturing sites worldwide for the fourth consecutive year.  A globally recognized certification, the Top Employers Institute acknowledges excellence in people practices. With over 2,500 employees globally in New Jersey (US), Cork (Ireland), Lisbon (Portugal), and Macau (China), this certification is a testament to Hovione’s commitment to continually creating a working environment for its team that prioritizes employee well-being, nurtures talent, and values and rewards merit and dedication.  Talent acquisition and retention remain challenging in the pharmaceutical industry, but Hovione has successfully bucked this trend with an historic lower-than-industry-average voluntary staff turnover rate. The firm continuously strives to refine its working practices to foster employee motivation and satisfaction. It has also developed a culture where individual contributions are valued and rewarded, aligning with the company’s overall success.   “Our people-first approach has once again been recognized”, said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Chief Executive Officer, Hovione. “This is a reflection of the commitment and dedication that has gone into creating a working environment across all of our sites where our team members are empowered to perform at their best every day.” “At Hovione, our people agenda is not solely an HR topic - it is a core pillar of our strategy to be a differentiated and enabling partner to the pharmaceutical industry. We invest continuously to create the best possible environment for our teams to do great work. And when this is combined with the deeper purpose behind what we do, helping to develop and manufacture life-enhancing medicines, it creates a powerful engine for innovation, differentiation, and growth, where all stakeholders are rewarded.” A key area recognized by The Top Employer’s Institute this time was Hovione’s best practice approach to sustainability, with the firm demonstrating that it has successfully cultivated a culture of responsibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement in this area. The company´s efforts to prioritize equity and inclusion were also acknowledged, helping strengthen its differentiated Employee Value Proposition, and enriching the journey for both current and future talent.  Ilda Ventura, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Member of the Management Board, Hovione, said: “Benchmarking our people practices as part of the Top Employers certification process tells us that we’re on the right track.” “Receiving the Top Employers certification for the fourth consecutive year reflects our continued commitment and efforts to putting people at the center of our business. By designing inclusive and consistent HR practices across all locations, we continue to bolster our Employee Value Proposition and create a workplace where talent can grow, engage, and succeed.”  

Press Release
Hovione has achieved Top Employer certification across all four of its manufacturing sites worldwide for the fourth consecutive year.

Hovione’s people-first approach recognized as it achieves Top Employer certification for the fourth consecutive year

Jan 20, 2026

Hovione is an international CDMO with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, providing a comprehensive range of services for New Molecular Entities (NMEs) including drug substances, intermediates, and finished drug products. Hovione also provides niche generic API products and delivers advanced technologies to support a variety of drug delivery systems, including oral, injectable, inhalation, and topical formats. Today, the company employs 2,500 people worldwide and offers 900 m3 of manufacturing capacity. Jean-Luc Herbeaux joined Hovione as Chief Operations Officer in 2020 and was appointed CEO in April 2022. Previously, he held multiple high-level leadership positions at Evonik, where he last headed the Health Care Business Line. Herbeaux earned a Diplôme d’Ingénieur from UTC in France and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Houston in the U.S. In this Q&A with Contract Pharma, Herbeaux discusses Hovione’s leadership in spray drying and continuous tableting technologies, the fundamental purpose that drives the company, long-term growth strategies and more.   Contract Pharma: What are the most significant trends you are currently observing in the CDMO industry? Jean-Luc Herbeaux: Several powerful trends are currently reshaping the CDMO industry. First, we are seeing a rapid increase in the complexity of synthetic molecules. These compounds often require longer, more sophisticated chemical routes and access to specialized, qualified capacity. They also drive demand for advanced formulation technologies, particularly in particle engineering and bioavailability enhancement, where spray drying has become a key enabling platform. Second, development timelines continue to compress. Sponsors want to move faster, which significantly increases the pressure on manufacturing organizations. CDMOs are expected to design, build, qualify, and scale assets in much shorter timeframes. This challenge is amplified by the simultaneous launch of very large-volume products, where commercial capacity may not yet exist and must be created in parallel with late-stage development. These dynamics clearly favor CDMOs that already have available capacity, strong engineering depth, and proven capabilities in rapid, right-first-time scale-up. Third, the regionalization of supply chains is becoming a structural reality. Concepts such as “USA for USA” or “China for China” represent a fundamental shift for an industry that was historically optimized around globally integrated networks. CDMOs with a truly international manufacturing footprint and strong scalability are best positioned to support this transition and to meet the expectations of global pharmaceutical customers. Finally, all these forces are accelerating the evolution of customer relationships — from transactional outsourcing toward strategic, long-term partnerships. As regulatory standards tighten and customer audits become broader and more rigorous, CDMOs aspiring to be strategic partners must go well beyond technical excellence. They must demonstrate highly professionalized operations, robust quality systems, strong governance, and the ability to integrate seamlessly into their customers’ development and supply strategies. CP: How does Hovione maintain its leadership in spray drying and continuous tableting technologies? Herbeaux: Establishing and maintaining leadership demands focus, discipline and commitment to continuous improvement. Decathletes are versatile but rarely dominate a single event. Similarly, I believe pharma CDMOs must decide whether to focus on selected technologies to achieve excellence or maintain a broad offering with inevitable compromises in depth and focus. At Hovione, we have chosen to specialize, dedicating over 20 years to perfecting spray drying. Thanks to this dedication, we have built unmatched know-how in particle engineering, scale-up, and industrialization, by optimizing materials, formulation, process design, automation, hardware design, and nurturing internal talents and partnerships. Specialized CDMOs like Hovione are uniquely positioned to lead this journey, given their exposure to a far broader range of compounds than any individual pharmaceutical company encounters within its own development pipeline. Our journey in continuous tableting is more recent, yet it follows the same playbook: we apply the same disciplined, end-to-end rigor across processes, hardware, automation, talent, and partner networks to drive usability and adoption. We do so by weaving innovation and continuous improvement into everything we do, with all our team members and partners contributing. This specialized approach has made Hovione very relevant to the pharmaceutical market, not by virtue of size or volume, but through the differentiation achieved in these areas of heightened focus. In turn, this contributes to the creation and reliable supply of superior therapies to the most important stakeholder group – patients. CP: How is Hovione integrating new technologies and innovations in its processes? Herbeaux: At Hovione, we believe in advancing the quality of our services through science and technology.  Our scientific expertise helps bring performance and predictability to the development and manufacturing processes we employ to deliver drug products and their intermediates to our customers, ensuring consistently high-quality results at all scales. Our approach to innovation integrates co-development with our partners and customers to adopt innovations that accelerate development and constantly improve product and process performance. Digital tools and automation—like PAT, advanced analytics, and in silico modeling—are obviously integrated in our processes to improve control, speed, and outcomes. By focusing on innovations that have a real impact, Hovione supports up to 10% of the NDAs submitted to the FDA on any given year and contributes to medicines that reach about 80 million patients. This reflects our dedication to improving patients’ lives. At the core of our identity is this fundamental purpose that guides everything our 2,500 team members do: “We are in it for life.” CP: What is Hovione’s long-term strategy to grow its U.S. operations? What progress has the company made recently? Herbeaux: The significant growth of our New Jersey site in recent years reflects the combined effect of a deliberate strategic decision to reinforce local capabilities and teams —bringing us closer to our customers and their end markets. Our “one-site-stop” approach—bringing together drug substance, drug product intermediate, and drug product capabilities at a single site under one quality system—resonates strongly with customers. This model reduces technology-transfer complexity, compresses timelines, and enables seamless execution from development through commercialization, directly addressing customer demand for accelerated timelines. We recently completed a $100 million investment cycle, including the construction of a 31,000 sq. ft. facility featuring two new commercial-scale size-3 spray dryers dedicated to amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs). This investment more than doubles our U.S. spray-drying capacity. The facility will also soon be equipped with a next-generation GEA continuous tableting line (CDC Flex) designed to accommodate a broad range of output levels, from development through commercial-scale volumes. Hovione has also acquired additional land to support a future 125,000 sq. ft. greenfield development. Together, these projects have the potential, over the next decade, to transform our New Jersey site into a fully integrated pharmaceutical manufacturing campus of more than 200,000 sq. ft. CP: What is Hovione’s growth strategy for the rest of the world beyond the U.S.? Herbeaux: The New Jersey expansion is part of Hovione’s multi-year, multi-continent investment plan to create a network of autonomous yet harmonized sites. In Seixal, Portugal, a €200 million investment in a 104-acre campus—including new production buildings, laboratories, and offices—is scheduled to open in 2027, providing clear line of sight for new business opportunities. In Cork, Ireland, a recently completed expansion nearly doubled our local spray-drying capacity. Together, these investments strengthen our key technology platforms— 1) amorphous solid dispersion via spray drying and 2) continuous tableting—enhancing capacity and ensuring redundancy to support global supply continuity. CP: Are there any recent collaborations or partnerships that have been impactful for Hovione’s trajectory? Herbeaux: Strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical companies (our customers) are particularly rewarding, as they entail long-term commitments, provide preferred access to rich portfolios and pipelines, and support our continuous evolution toward best-in-class performance. In recent years, we have secured a growing number of preferred supplier relationships, which have helped ensure long-term supply of complex drugs and intermediates for our partners while also mitigating risk in our own pipeline. Another category of strategic collaborations involves partners with capabilities that are complementary to ours. Through these collaborations, we expand our innovation ecosystem, enhance our capabilities to address the industry’s toughest challenges, and leverage top industry talent to create value that benefits and respects all participants. Our partnership with Zerion Pharma helps advance the Dispersome technology to boost bioavailability of small-molecule drugs, supported by our ASD-HIPROS intelligent screening platform to speed amorphous solid dispersion formulation development. Our technology partnerships with Dragonfly Technologies (micellar chemistry) and Microinnova (flow chemistry) enable greener, leaner chemistry. Our collaboration with GEA contributes to the higher adoption of continuous tableting with next generation continuous tableting machines, which are easier to use, more compact and address the customer requirement for accelerated development. Building on our leadership in spray drying, we are partnering in systems for respiratory drug delivery, such as dry powder inhaler device technology with H&T Presspart and nasal powder delivery devices with IDC in order to present a complete offering (API, powder, and devices) to the market. Last but not least, we are expanding our network to areas adjacent to our current commercial activities, most notably aseptic particles and formulations, with the goal of addressing drug delivery and stabilization challenges for new modalities. Our specialized synthetic sugars, which show potential in this area, came with the acquisition of ExtremoChem. We will share more details as this offering continues to mature. CP: From a sponsor’s perspective, what should companies look for when choosing a CDMO for early-phase development of complex formulations? Herbeaux: When faced with the difficult task of selecting a CDMO, I would recommend choosing a partner with proven capabilities in the relevant area—particularly when it comes to scaling from early development to commercial production. I would select a CDMO that helps the customer make the right scientific and technical decisions early, anticipating scale-up challenges before they arise. Ultimately, I would choose a partner for the long term, equipped with the right team (including management), equipment, methodologies, quality and regulatory expertise to de-risk both the clinical and commercial programs. A long-term partnership fosters a transparent, collaborative model, supported by strong data protection, with the CDMO functioning as an extension of the customer’s team.  As trust is established and team dynamics are proven, partners can successfully pursue projects even beyond the CDMO’s core technologies, leveraging close collaboration and higher levels of integration to ensure successful outcomes. In my experience, nothing delivers more long-term value than a network of trusted partners. CP: As the CDMO space becomes increasingly crowded, how is Hovione differentiating itself in the eyes of emerging biotech and mid-sized pharma clients? Herbeaux: Our customers’ trust is our most valuable asset. It underpins every collaboration we build and is earned through the depth of our scientific expertise, efficient and reliable manufacturing, strong quality systems, sustainable practices, and long-standing regulatory excellence. This foundation is reflected in the trust placed in us by 19 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical companies, as well as many mid-sized pharmaceutical companies and biotech organizations. That trust is never taken for granted. It is earned and reinforced through our continuous efforts to help our customers address their most complex challenges and advance their drug programs with dedication, confidence and timeliness. As a family-owned company with a stable and experienced management team, we provide a clear long-term vision and consistent strategic direction—qualities our customers value highly. Having grown organically with patient outcome in mind, we deeply appreciate that every project matters—both to our pharmaceutical partners and, most importantly, to the patients whose lives depend on the successful launch and delivery of these medicines. Emerging biotech and mid-sized pharma clients can rely on the superior level of engagement and service that has made Hovione successful. Through our integrated model, we support the development and manufacturing of drug substance, drug product intermediates, and finished drug products for both clinical and commercial applications—enabling smooth scale-up, consistent results, and accelerated timelines. Our R&D and operations teams work in close partnership, coordinated by best-in-class project management practices, to ensure fast, reliable transfer from laboratory scale to GMP industrial production, maintaining speed without compromising quality. Throughout every stage, quality and compliance remain at the core of our work, with unwavering adherence to the highest standards. Our leadership in platforms like ASD by spray drying and continuous tableting, together with our capability to drive projects to success at any scale, remains a key source of value for emerging biotech and mid-sized pharma, especially as advanced formulation challenges grow more complex.   Read the full article at ContractPharma.com  

Article
Contract Pharma, 12 January 2026

CEO Spotlight: Hovione’s Jean-Luc Herbeaux

Jan 12, 2026

Key Takeaways Multiple departments, including engineering and quality assurance, are responsible for evaluating GMP equipment and facilities. Regulatory inspectors require well-organized, preferably digital, maintenance documentation during GMP audits. A computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) is crucial for tracking maintenance activities and ensuring high performance. Common mistakes include neglecting criticality assessments, relying solely on time-based maintenance, and failing to consider maintainability during design. Adequate commissioning time is crucial for equipment lifespan and maintenance reliability. Construction and maintenance of manufacturing buildings and equipment fall under good manufacturing practices (GMPs) regulations (1–5). Pharmaceutical manufacturers can comply with these rules in the form of risk-based maintenance programs. Pharmaceutical Technology® spoke with David Basile, VP Technical Operations, Americas, Hovione, about how companies can meet these requirements for GMP facilities and equipment and some of the common mistakes made when working toward compliance. PharmTech: Which department is responsible for evaluating GMP equipment and facilities? Basile (Hovione): The primary groups that participate in the evaluation of GMP equipment and facilities are engineering, maintenance, while quality assurance (QA) oversees compliance and approval. The best companies keep a few dedicated roles focused on maintenance planning and equipment reliability to drive best practices and implement the concepts of reliability centered maintenance. Do regulatory inspectors request proof of maintenance? If yes, how should this be compiled and presented to the agency? Yes, it's fairly standard for regulators to request proof of maintenance during GMP audits to verify compliance and confirm that we document all our activities related to the manufacturer and release of our products. You didn't do it, if you didn't document it. We compile detailed electronic records, including preventive maintenance schedules and calibration certificates. These should be presented in a clear and organized manner. In our recent inspections, we've seen that inspectors appreciate being able to get these records in a digital format for portability, and in case they'd like to reference them at their convenience. Another element here is using what we call our computerized maintenance management system, or CMMS. This is a central repository for all of our maintenance-related activities. This is a key system in the efficient execution of any strong, compliant maintenance program. It provides detailed work order history, preventative maintenance instructions, asset specifications, scheduling, data and spare parts inventory, so we can see trends and pick up drift, for example, to clearly demonstrate that our assets remain in a state of high performance and quality operation. We'd really be flying blind without a CMMS. It's a tool that you can't live without in today's world of pharmaceutical maintenance. What are the most common mistakes that manufacturers make when it comes to maintaining GMP equipment and facilities? Failing to do a comprehensive criticality assessment and a risk-based approach, [which can result] in over or under maintenance [is one mistake]. Solely relying on time-based preventative maintenance versus proactive maintenance approaches such as precision alignment or lubrication [is another]. Today's teams need to incorporate conditions-based maintenance using technologies such as vibration analysis. They can no longer just fix things that break. They need to diagnose equipment, looking for early signs of failure before they fully develop. Other examples of this are ultrasound or infrared scanning to ensure motors and electrical systems are wired and operating properly. Another mistake might be failing to consider design for maintainability during upgrades and not during the design phase. Adequate space and access to equipment, standardized tools, having the right pickups on equipment for condition-based maintenance [are important considerations]. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a filter housing or an instrument placed in the interstitial space above a ceiling with no way to safely access it. Failing to consider design for maintainability and not bringing maintenance in during the design phase is one mistake that people often make. Not carving out a role for a dedicated maintenance planner is also a misstep. At Hovione, we have a dedicated reliability engineer and maintenance planner that help in the evaluation. This is critical to shorten the mean time to repair and ensure that all tools and supplies needed for the job are available and kitted to support fast first-time-right work order execution. These roles are game changers to the operation and take you from walking to sprinting, especially when candidates bring hands on experience. In fact, the best planners are usually seasoned mechanics. One final failure we see often is not building in enough time for commissioning. The lifespan of equipment can be greatly influenced during the commissioning phase. This is where maintenance reliability starts. Too often, commissioning is rushed through, and equipment and preventive maintenance plans and required spare parts are not thoroughly assessed. In many cases, due to limited time, the CMMS system is not fully populated with key information to perform comprehensive root cause analysis. Read the full article at Pharmtech.com  

Article
Pharmaceutical Technology, 26 December 2025

Missteps in GMP Facilities and Equipment Maintenance

Dec 26, 2025

David Basile, Vice President of Technical Operations for the Americas at Hovione, has identified several recurring errors made by pharmaceutical companies in the maintenance of manufacturing facilities and equipment. These missteps occur within the framework of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), which are critical for ensuring product quality and compliance with regulatory standards. Basile points to a range of issues that commonly arise, including inadequate preventive maintenance programs, improper documentation practices, and insufficient training for personnel responsible for equipment upkeep. He also highlights challenges related to aging infrastructure and the failure to implement modern technologies that could improve efficiency and reliability. These shortcomings can lead to operational disruptions, increased costs, and potential regulatory non-compliance. The observations underline the importance of robust maintenance strategies in maintaining high standards within pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. Read the full article at Geneonline.com  

Article
Gene Online, 26 December 2025

Recurring GMP Maintenance Errors Identified by Hovione VP David Basile in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

Dec 26, 2025

A mechanical engineering graduate, this Frenchman is the CEO of the Portuguese pharmaceutical contract manufacturer Hovione. Still owned by the founding family, the company was awarded the 2025 ‘Léonardo de Vinci’ Prize, which recognizes the innovative and successful succession planning of family businesses. With an international career behind him, Jean-Luc Herbeaux is almost more fluent in English than in his native language. At 58, this Frenchman with iceberg-blue eyes is the CEO of Hovione. Founded in the late 1950s, this Portuguese group, with 100% family ownership, has just received the ‘Léonardo de Vinci’ Prize, which highlights entrepreneurial successes tinged with family legacy. While this mid-sized company with a turnover of €500 million maintains a low profile, its pharmaceutical contract manufacturing business is just as obscure to the general public. "Yet, the market for contract manufacturers, or 'contract development manufacturing organizations,' is worth $200 billion", emphasizes the CEO, who has been working in this microcosm for two decades. 500 patents Aware of the stakes, he does not deny "the pharma industry's dependence on Indian and Chinese capabilities". "The fact remains that the trend is toward the regionalization of supply chains, with European manufacturers producing for the Old Continent, American manufacturers for their own market, and so on", he says. And to highlight the foresight of Diane and Ivan Villax, the founding couple, "who thought globally from the very beginning". As a result, the group, with its 500 patents, has factories in China, the United States, and Ireland, without neglecting its home territory. This is evident by the site currently under construction on the banks of the Tagus River, following a €200 million investment. "The heavy engineering and compliance aspects are being finalized, "he explains, emphasizing that this highly regulated sector "is under a microscope". He knows this all too well, as Hovione claims to be involved in 5 to 10% of the drugs approved each year by the FDA, the American drug regulatory agency. Professor from Houston to Japan “In this small world, having a good image is important: this is the case with Jean-Luc, passionate about his work, but who knows how to demystify things”, observes Elie Vannier, former chairman of the board of Hovione. He adds that having an international profile is a strength “in this ecosystem where talent and clients are international”. For his part, Jean-Luc retains from his numerous flights “a taste for films of all genres and from all countries”. The son of an administrative employee in secondary schools and an auto insurance expert, the youngest of three children moved around according to his parents' job transfers. He was born in Meaux, grew up in Chartres, and attended the University of Technology of Compiègne, “which already offered programs abroad”. Thus, he left a mechanical engineering internship at a Dior perfume factory to join the University of Houston in Texas, "carrying a 20 kg backpack". Despite his then-limited command of English, he earned a doctorate, became a professor, and met an American woman who would become his wife and the mother of their two children. Next came the University of Kanazawa in Japan. Alas! Disappointed by the academic world, "where you have to fight to get resources", he succumbed to the allure of industry and joined the American chemical company Rohm and Haas, which had fallen under the control of the German company Evonik. 80 million patients He spent twenty years there, in Germany and Singapore, before "accepting the offers from headhunters". He then accepted Hovione's offer, who appointed him Chief Operating Officer in 2020, then CEO two years later, making him the first CEO not from the founding family. The family remains the sole shareholder, which earned the company the ‘Léonardo de Vinci’ Prize, created by the Association Les Hénokiens and the Clos Lucé. Having settled near Lisbon, he substituted walking for combat sports, "having been burned by the injuries of some friends". He also mentioned that Hovione, whose clients include 19 of the world's 20 largest pharmaceutical companies, helps treat more than 80 million patients.   (Translated version)   Read the original and full article in French on LesEchos.fr  

Article
Les Echos, 2 December 2025

Jean-Luc Herbeaux aims to boost the growth of the pharmaceutical group Hovione

Dec 02, 2025

Lisbon, Portugal — December 2, 2025 — Hovione, an integrated global CDMO, and GEA, one of the world’s largest suppliers of systems and components for the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, have strengthened their longstanding partnership to deliver new levels of flexibility and simplicity in continuous tableting. This enhanced collaboration has led to the development of the ConsiGma® CDC Flex system, a next-generation platform that makes continuous direct compression (CDC) more flexible, efficient, and cost-effective. First introduced to a select audience at the GEA/Hovione Advancing Continuous Tableting Seminar in early October, and to a wider audience at the CPHI Frankfurt trade show, the new system marks a significant milestone in the partnership between the two companies. The ConsiGma® CDC Flex represents a major leap forward in the development and production of oral solid dosage forms. Together, GEA and Hovione have developed a versatile system and a suite of automated tools — known as SimpleCT — that simplify operation, enhance efficiency and containment, and improve operator safety. These innovative developments were designed with versatility and user-friendliness in mind, and to provide a simpler workflow with automated controls and smart interfaces. The CDC Flex is designed to operate in three different process configurations — continuously at low or high throughput, or in batch mode with immediate direct compression of pre-blended product — at output rates of 1–200 kg/h. It can also handle R&D batches as small as 1.5 kg. This is enabled by the ability to swiftly switch between different-sized continuous blenders within a single unit. “This brand-new addition to the ConsiGma® portfolio has been designed as a truly versatile system that offers both high and low throughput functionality,” said Dr Jim Holman, Senior Director Technology Management, GEA Pharma Solids. “This agility makes the CDC Flex ideal for both R&D projects and commercial-scale production runs. In addition, for companies with a wide product portfolio that wish to benefit from the advantages that CDC offers, we now have a solution: ultimate flexibility in continuous direct compression.” “We believe that continuous tableting delivers significant value to our customers, primarily by accelerating time-to-market through a compressed development phase and by enhancing supply chain flexibility. It also helps to reduce development costs while improving product quality and sustainability,” said Filipe Gaspar, Vice President of Technology Intensification at Hovione. “Through our collaboration with GEA, we aim to advance the continuous production of oral solid dosage forms, making the technology more standardized, accessible and cost-efficient for pharmaceutical customers.”    

Press Release
The new ConsiGma® CDC Flex delivers unprecedented flexibility, simplicity, and cost-efficiency in continuous direct compression.

Hovione and GEA set new standards for continuous tableting

Dec 02, 2025

The CDMO’s New Jersey manufacturing site expansion will eventually cover more than 200,000 square feet. Portugal-based contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Hovione has completed an initial $100 million investment round in its East Windsor, New Jersey site. Once completed it will increase the facility’s footprint to more than 200,000 square feet and more than double its capacity for spray drying. Hovione CEO Jean-Luc Herbeaux said: “Since launching our New Jersey operations in 2002, Hovione has been one of the longest established European CDMOs in the United States. “This investment reinforces Hovione’s leadership in spray drying – a core technology platform where we have built extensive know-how and capabilities. By continuing to advance our platforms and expand capacity in the US, we are strengthening the foundation that enables our partners to bring complex medicines to patients more efficiently.” Spray drying is an increasingly important particle engineering technology for improving drug bioavailability through the amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) that can address bioavailability or crystallisation challenges. The initial phase of Hovione’s expansion will include a 31,000-square-foot building to house two size-3 spray dryers (PSD-3) designed for ASD production. Construction at the New Jersey site is already underway and the company plans to start GMP operations in the second quarter of 2026. The initiative is part of Hovione’s long-term strategy to grow its US operations and enhance its integrated drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product capabilities. Herbeaux said: “This investment addresses growing customer demand for US-based capacity and integrated solutions that shorten development timelines and reduce tech transfer complexity. By consolidating development, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing within a single quality and governance framework, we provide customers with seamless execution from drug substance to drug product.” The company’s New Jersey expansion fits into its wider international growth plan that also includes capacity investments in Ireland and Portugal as it seeks to create a network of autonomous sites spanning the development and commercialisation of APIs, drug product intermediates and drug products.   Read the full article at EuropeanPharmaceuticalReview.com  

Press Clipping
European Pharmaceutical Review, 4 November 2025

Hovione doubles spray drying capacity with $100m US investment round

Nov 04, 2025

US-base manufacturing and the continued rise of peptides were among the key themes for CDMOs at CPHI Frankfurt 2025. Andrew Warmington reports. Hovione announced during this show that it has completed an initial $100 million investment phase in the expansion of its manufacturing footprint in East Windsor, New Jersey. The company was one of the first European CDMOs to set up in the US back in 2002. CEO Jean-Luc Herbeaux said that when he took over the role four years ago, Hovione's footprint in the US was limited and the site was reaching capacity limitations. (...) Read the full article on SpecChemOnline.com  

Article
Speciality Chemicals, Nov./Dec. 2025

Coming to America - Drug Product Focus

Nov 01, 2025

The latest from CDMOs, CMOs, and suppliers featuring Thermo Fisher Scientific, Lonza, SK pharmteco/Lotte Biologics, Hovione, Sai Life Sciences, BioCina, Alcami, Piramal Pharma/IntoCell and Roquette. Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing: Hovione Completes Initial $100-M Investment Cycle in US Operations Hovione, a CDMO of drug substances and drug products, has completed an initial $100-million investment cycle at its site in East Windsor, New Jersey, as part of a strategy to increase its US operations and enhance its integrated drug-substance, drug-product intermediate, and drug-product capabilities. Upon completion, the site will cover more than 200,000 square feet.   The initial expansion phase includes a 31,000-square-foot building that will house two size-3 spray dryers (PSD-3) designed for production of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs). This investment more than doubles Hovione’s spray-drying capacity in the US by expanding capabilities for ASD development and commercial manufacturing. Construction is underway at the New Jersey site, with GMP operations planned to start in the second quarter of 2026.  As part of this expansion, Hovione has also acquired additional adjacent land to enable future growth at the East Windsor site. The 125,000-square-foot greenfield will support large-scale production, including continuous and batch tableting capacity, and introduce the latest pharmaceutical technologies and digital innovation with enhanced quality control and R&D capabilities.    Read the full article at DCATvci.org  

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DCAT Value Chain Insights, 30 October 2025

Supplier News: Thermo Fisher, Lonza, SK pharmteco, Hovione & More

Oct 30, 2025

Today marks the start of CPhI Frankfurt, a huge trade show in Germany focused on the supply of pharmaceutical ingredients and other services to the drug industry. C&EN editor in chief Nick Perkins, life sciences editor Laura Howes, and reporter Aayushi Pratap are all there to meet drug outsourcing executives and take the pulse of the sector. In advance of CPhI, Cambrex and Wilmington PharmaTech both just announced big investments in US plants that make active pharmaceutical ingredients. And the Portuguese pharmaceutical services firm Hovione says it has completed a $100 million investment in New Jersey (story below). (...) Hovione invests in spray-drying in New Jersey The pharmaceutical services firm Hovione says it has spent $100 million to expand its operation in East Windsor, New Jersey. The facility spray-dries drug ingredients to create amorphous solid dispersions, which improve solubility and bioavailability. The Portuguese company says the new spray dryers will begin operating in the second quarter of 2026. The New Jersey facility opened in 2002, making Hovione one of the longest-established European pharmaceutical services firms in the US, CEO Jean-Luc Herbeaux says in a press release. Hovione says it has purchased land adjacent to the East Windsor site on which it can add new facilities for services such as spray-drying and drug tableting. Hovione is also investing at its sites in Ireland and Portugal. —Michael McCoy   Read the full article at CEN.acs.org  

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C&EN, 28 October 2025

Oct. 28 Business Watch: More plants closing in Europe, Novartis to pay $12 billion for biotech firm

Oct 28, 2025

Developing drugs with poor water solubility remains a major challenge for pharmaceutical manufacturers, because solubility impacts bioavailability and effective drug delivery. The vast majority of small molecule drug candidates have low water solubility. For more than two decades, the most successful particle engineering technology to improve drug solubility and bioavailability has been spray drying with an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) platform. Spray drying improves the solubility of oral drugs, inhalable particles, and excipients, and increases the stability of heat-sensitive drug products. Hovione, recognized globally for its industry-leading spray drying capabilities, has recently completed a $100 million investment cycle to enhance its operations in New Jersey. This initiative has successfully doubled Hovione’s spray-drying capacity in the US, strengthening its position in the industry. Hovione’s Expanded U.S. Site in East Windsor, NJ  The first phase of the expansion in East Windsor, NJ, delivers a new 31,000 square foot facility and houses two size-3 spray dryers (PSD-3). This additional capacity allows Hovione to meet increasing customer demand for ASD development and good manufacturing practice (GMP) commercial production. GMP operations are scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2026.  Hovione has also acquired 15 acres of neighboring land, strategically positioning itself for future growth and evolving customer needs for U.S. manufacturing. The newly acquired greenfield site will provide future support for PSD-4–scale commercial production as well as continuous and batch tableting production. It will also be a hub for centralized logistics, enhanced quality control laboratories, and next-generation research and development facilities.  A Global CDMO with a Growing U.S. Footprint  Hovione has operated in New Jersey for more than two decades, establishing itself with a strong U.S. presence for the production of drug substances, intermediates, and finished drug products. A continued emphasis on an integrated service offering, including spray drying, supports delivering innovative medicines to patients more quickly.  The expansion of the East Windsor site addresses the rising demand for U.S. manufacturing and is an integral part of the company's ongoing global growth strategy, with facilities in Portugal, Ireland, and Macau. The company continues to bolster a cohesive network for drug development and commercial manufacturing unified by a corporate quality system and governance framework.  The integrated offering enhances development speed and eases technology transfers by unifying the team's technical skills, proprietary technologies, and digital platforms to efficiently produce drug substance to drug products at a single-site, through Hovione’s “one site, one partner” vision. Furthermore, Hovione’s strategic partnership model offers customers exclusive access to advanced technologies and resources while aiding in the optimization of their development programs and ensuring sustained value creation.  End-to-End Spray Drying and Particle Engineering: From Grams to Tons Hovione is a global leader in spray drying and particle engineering. Services include solubility enhancement and controlled-modified release via development and production of ASDs of both small and large molecules, supporting various modalities. ASD-HIPROS, Hovione’s proprietary spray drying screening platform, identifies optimal formulations that offer optimal performance and stability. By increasing production volume in the US, Hovione will meet customer demand for spray drying services:  Development services in the laboratory (1 g – 1 kg batches)  Pilot scale production (0.5 – 25 kg batches)  Small-scale production (5 – 200 kg batches)  Large-scale commercial manufacturing (50 – 400 kg batches) A Commitment to Sustainability  Hovione’s core values include a commitment to sustainability at all facilities. This commitment is reflected in a business strategy that focuses on improving the communities where the company operates. Hovione’s sustainability policy and strategy align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and include adherence to science-based targets in line with the Paris Agreement to address climate change. Meeting these goals has required a dedication to process intensification and ensuring sustainability of manufacturing processes. This has been possible through strategic planning and commitments from senior management to ensure sustainability is addressed throughout the drug development life cycle.  Partner with a Technology-Leading CDMO for U.S. Manufacturing   As demand for poorly water-soluble drug formulations continues to rise in the U.S., expanding spray drying throughput is essential to meet the need for innovative therapeutics. With proven leadership in spray drying to manufacture ASDs, Hovione is able to support pharmaceutical companies by solving their solubility challenges efficiently and reliably.  Partnering with a CDMO that combines global leadership, advanced technologies, and the necessary manufacturing capacity in the U.S., drug developers can expedite time to market, ensure quality, and deliver innovative medicines to patients faster.  If your company is seeking access to the latest spray-drying capabilities, expanded U.S. manufacturing capacity, and an accelerated path to regulatory filing and commercialization, contact our team today.     

News
By David Basile, Vice President, Technical Operations

Hovione is Expanding Spray Drying Capacity for U.S. Drug Manufacturing

Oct 27, 2025

EAST WINDSOR, N.J. — October 27, 2025 — Hovione, a fully-integrated global CDMO, today announced the completion of an initial multi-million-dollar investment cycle to expand its manufacturing site in East Windsor, New Jersey. Upon completion, this world-class site will cover more than 200,000 square feet, integrating the latest technologies within sustainably designed facilities. The initiative advances Hovione’s long-term strategy to grow its U.S. operations and enhance its integrated drug substance, drug product intermediate, and drug product capabilities. The initial expansion phase includes a 31,000-square-foot building that will house two size-3 spray dryers (PSD-3) designed for production of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) for the company´s customers that have an interest in having a supply node in North America. This investment more than doubles Hovione’s spray drying capacity in the United States, expanding capabilities for ASD development and commercial manufacturing. A global leader in ASD by spray drying for pharmaceutical applications, Hovione applies this critical technology to improve drug solubility and bioavailability across a wide range of compounds. Construction is already underway at the Hovione New Jersey site, with GMP operations planned to start in the second quarter of 2026.  “Since launching our New Jersey operations in 2002, Hovione has been one of the longest established European CDMOs in the United States,” said Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Ph.D., CEO of Hovione. “This investment reinforces Hovione’s leadership in spray drying – a core technology platform where we have built extensive know-how and capabilities. By continuing to advance our platforms and expand capacity in the U.S., we are strengthening the foundation that enables our partners to bring complex medicines to patients more efficiently.” Dr. Herbeaux continued, “This investment addresses growing customer demand for U.S.-based capacity and integrated solutions that shorten development timelines and reduce tech transfer complexity. By consolidating development, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing within a single quality and governance framework, we provide customers with seamless execution from drug substance to drug product.” As part of this expansion, Hovione has also acquired additional adjacent land to enable future growth and ensure the East Windsor site continues to meet evolving customer needs. The 125,000-square-foot greenfield will support large-scale production, including continuous and batch tableting capacity, and introduce the next generation of pharmaceutical technologies and digital innovation with enhanced quality control and R&D capabilities.  David Basile, Vice President of Technical Operations – Americas at Hovione said, “This expansion in New Jersey marks a significant step in extending our capabilities in the U.S., which go far beyond machine time or equipment capacity. We are integrating our teams, specialized assets, proprietary technologies, and digital systems to deliver distinctive end-to-end ASD and continuous tableting platforms to our customers. Through our new strategic engagement model, customers can gain privileged access to innovation and assets that accelerate their programs and create long-term value.”  Hovione’s expansion in East Windsor forms part of a broader international growth plan that also includes capacity investments in Ireland and Portugal. Together, these initiatives will create a network of autonomous sites spanning the development and commercialization of APIs, drug product intermediates, and drug products, all under harmonized quality systems. Drug developers seeking to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity, gain strategic access to critical assets, or achieve an expedited pathway to filing and commercialization, are invited to contact Hovione here to discuss potential collaborations.   *Poor Solubility – Where Do We Stand 25 Years after the ‘Rule of Five’?    

Press Release
Investment More Than Doubles Capacity for Spray Drying, a Critical Solubility Enhancement Technology That Could Benefit the Development of 70% of Drugs*

Hovione Completes Initial $100M Investment Cycle to Expand U.S. Operations at New Jersey Manufacturing Site

Oct 27, 2025

Investment More Than Doubles Capacity for Spray Drying, a Critical Solubility Enhancement Technology That Could Benefit the Development of 70% of Drugs 27 October 2025 -- New Jersey, US -- Hovione, a fully-integrated global CDMO, today announced the completion of an initial multi-million-dollar investment cycle to expand its manufacturing site in East Windsor, New Jersey. Upon completion, this world-class campus will cover more than 200,000 square feet, integrating the latest technologies within sustainably designed facilities. The initiative advances Hovione’s long-term strategy to grow its U.S. operations and enhance its integrated drug substance, drug product intermediate, and drug product capabilities. The initial expansion phase includes a 31,000-square-foot building that will house two size-3 spray dryers (PSD-3) designed for production of amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) for the company´s customers that have an interest in having a supply node in North America. This investment more than doubles Hovione’s spray drying capacity in the United States, expanding capabilities for ASD development and commercial manufacturing. A global leader in ASD by spray drying for pharmaceutical applications, Hovione applies this critical technology to improve drug solubility and bioavailability across a wide range of compounds. Construction is already underway at the Hovione New Jersey site, with GMP operations planned to start in the second quarter of 2026. “Since launching our New Jersey operations in 2002, Hovione has been one of the longest established European CDMOs in the United States,” said Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Ph.D., CEO of Hovione. “This investment reinforces Hovione’s leadership in spray drying – a core technology platform where we have built extensive know-how and capabilities. By continuing to advance our platforms and expand capacity in the U.S., we are strengthening the foundation that enables our partners to bring complex medicines to patients more efficiently.” Dr. Herbeaux continued, “This investment addresses growing customer demand for U.S.-based capacity and integrated solutions that shorten development timelines and reduce tech transfer complexity. By consolidating development, scale-up, and commercial manufacturing within a single quality and governance framework, we provide customers with seamless execution from drug substance to drug product.” As part of this expansion, Hovione has also acquired additional adjacent land to enable future growth and ensure the East Windsor site continues to meet evolving customer needs. The 125,000-square-foot greenfield will support large-scale production, including continuous and batch tableting capacity, and introduce the next generation of pharmaceutical technologies and digital innovation with enhanced quality control and R&D capabilities. David Basile, Vice President of Technical Operations – Americas at Hovione said, “This expansion in New Jersey marks a significant step in extending our capabilities in the U.S., which go far beyond machine time or equipment capacity. We are integrating our teams, specialized assets, proprietary technologies, and digital systems to deliver distinctive end-to-end ASD and continuous tableting platforms to our customers. Through our new strategic engagement model, customers can gain privileged access to innovation and assets that accelerate their programs and create long-term value.” Hovione’s expansion in East Windsor forms part of a broader international growth plan that also includes capacity investments in Ireland and Portugal. Together, these initiatives will create a network of autonomous sites spanning the development and commercialization of APIs, drug product intermediates, and drug products, all under harmonized quality systems. Drug developers seeking to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity, gain strategic access to critical assets, or achieve an expedited pathway to filing and commercialization, are invited to contact Hovione at www.hovione.com/contact-us to discuss potential collaborations. Read the full article at IPTOnline.com    

Press Clipping
Innovations in Pharmaceutical Technology, IPT Online, 27 October 2025

Hovione Completes Initial $100M Investment Cycle to Expand U.S. Operations at New Jersey Manufacturing Site

Oct 27, 2025

Lisbon, Portugal, 25 September 2025 – Hovione, a Portuguese-founded multinational and family-owned business specialized in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, has received the Leonardo da Vinci Prize 2025, awarded by the Hénokiens Association and the Château du Clos Lucé. In its 14th edition, the prize was presented in Lisbon to Ms. Diane Villax, founder and member of the Board of Directors of Hovione, by former Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas, before an audience of global business leaders and public figures. “This award recognizes Hovione’s commitment to science, innovation and service to patients worldwide. It reflects the values that have guided us from the start – honesty, integrity, scientific rigor and teamwork – with a long-term vision that puts people and progress at the center. Above all, it is a tribute to the people of Hovione, whose passion and dedication ensure we remain, in every sense, In it for life,” said Diane Villax, Founder and member of the Board of Directors of Hovione. “This recognition strengthens our resolve to build for the future, drawing on our heritage, culture, and the passion of our employees as we expand our global reach to partners and patients. We remain dedicated to advancing innovation, deepening partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry, and ultimately helping deliver better medicines to improve lives,” said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, CEO of Hovione. Founded in 1959, Hovione remains a family-owned company, employing 2,400 people across five manufacturing facilities (Loures and Seixal - Portugal; New Jersey - US; Cork - Ireland; and Macau), two R&D centers, and eight regional offices worldwide. With a strong scientific foundation, the company supports the pharmaceutical industry in addressing its most complex challenges and has contributed to 29 new drugs approved by the US FDA in the last decade, representing in some years as much as 10% of the total, improving the lives of an estimated 80 million patients every year. Hovione has played a decisive role in some of the world’s greatest public health breakthroughs - from manufacturing ivermectin, the Nobel Prize-winning treatment for river blindness, to producing three of the four hepatitis C drugs that have cured over 4 million patients, and enabling the world’s first COVID-19 approved treatment, Veklury®, which reached 6.5 million patients. Beyond science, the company has shown a strong commitment to society, from donating nearly 1 million bottles of sanitizing gel during the pandemic, to investing in education through supporting Nova University school of Sciences and Technologies, the significant financial contribution to NOVA School of Business and Economics, among other, and recently becoming the new official sponsor of the Portuguese National Rugby Team, including support for youth talent development.   About Hovione Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations. As a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) it has a fully integrated offering of services for drug substances, drug product intermediates and drug products. The company has four FDA inspected sites in the USA, Portugal, Ireland and China and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA. Hovione provides pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs, including highly potent compounds, and customized product solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and manufacturing, capsule filling and devices. Hovione's culture is based on innovation, quality and dependability. Hovione is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards. About Henokiens Association The International Henokiens Association, created in France in 1981, brings together bicentennial family businesses from around the world. Descendants of the founders are still the owners or majority stakeholders of the 57 member companies, based in 10 countries. Through its members and the values they embody, the association aims to promote the concept of the family business as an alternative to multinationals. www.henokiens.com About Château du Clos Lucé Château du Clos Lucé - Parc Leonardo da Vinci, located in Amboise, is the residence where Leonardo da Vinci settled in 1516 at the invitation of King Francis I. Appointed “First Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King”, he worked tirelessly on numerous projects before passing away 500 years ago. The Saint Bris family has owned the property since 1855, and opened this cultural landmark to the public almost one hundred years later, in 1954. The family’s mission is to pass on the universal heritage, memory and knowledge of Leonardo da Vinci’s work to as many people as possible. In 2019, the Château du Clos Lucé welcomed 520,000 visitors, 25% of whom were from abroad. It is the 3rd most visited monument in the Loire Valley. Thanks to digital technologies, Clos Lucé is continuing its digital transformation and in June 2021 inaugurated the Leonardo da Vinci Painter and Architect Galleries, a new 500 square metre cultural facility. Visitors are immersed in the creative process and the entire painted work of the Renaissance genius in an immersive audiovisual show. www.vinci-closluce.com/en    

Press Release
Presented by the Hénokiens Association and the Château du Clos Lucé

Hovione honored with the Leonardo da Vinci Prize 2025

Sep 26, 2025

Aim to accelerate drug development and production with new technologies. By: Charlie Sternberg Hovione, an international integrated pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organization, and Microinnova Engineering, a leader in continuous process intensification, have partnered to advance the development of multi-purpose, plug-and-play modular equipment for flow chemistry. The companies will work together to test Microinnova’s modular manufacturing equipment, which is designed to offer greater flexibility, easier scalability, enhanced efficiency, and sustainable practices in active ingredient production, in an industrial setting. Together, the companies aim to accelerate process development, facilitate a seamless transition from lab to large-scale manufacturing, and ultimately reduce the time to market for pharmaceutical customers. “This collaboration with Microinnova underscores Hovione’s commitment to innovation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, with flow chemistry playing an important role in our long-term drug substance strategy,” said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, CEO of Hovione. “This partnership will allow us to shape and validate emerging continuous manufacturing technologies, which can potentially accelerate drug development and production.” Dr. Dirk Kirschneck, Founder and Strategic Director at Microinnova, added, “This partnership reflects our shared vision to deliver modular manufacturing technologies that support pharmaceutical innovation and manufacturing excellence. We are proud to join forces with Hovione to showcase the capabilities of our next-generation modular equipment in a dynamic CDMO environment, demonstrating its versatility for multi-purpose manufacturing.”   Read the full article on ContractPharma.com  

Press Clipping
Contract Pharma, 24 September 2025

Hovione, Microinnova Partner to Test Modular Manufacturing Equipment

Sep 24, 2025

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