Press Room

Event

52nd Organic Process Research and Development (OPR&D)

Start

Monday, September 23, 2024

End

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

Location: Prague, Czech Republic

Hoviong is present at the OPR&D Conference in Prague. Contact us today and schedule a meeting | Hovione

Visit Hovione at OPR&D, the Leading Process Chemistry Conference from September 23-25 in Prague, Czech Republic.

We are proud to be the Gold Sponsor of the conference, the place to be to learn about the latest scientific updates in the industry and to network with chemical experts from around the globe.

Join the conference's sessions led by our experts

"Women in Process Chemistry"

Chair: Susana Lucas, Ph.D., Sr. Manager, R&D Process Chemistry Development

September 23 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

We are honored to chair and sponsor the Women in Process Chemistry Session at the 52nd OPR&D Conference in Prague. Our expert Susana Lucas will be leading the conversation on innovative approaches to enhance process development efficiency alongside key opinion leaders in the field, including Samantha Staniland from AstraZeneca, Stephanie Kosnik from Boehringer Ingelheim, Dide Verhoeven from Symeres, and Gabriele Menges-Flanagan from Fraunhofer IMM.

Gain valuable insights into sustainable high-throughput experimentation (HTE) techniques in early-stage discovery and learn about cutting-edge crystallization methodologies to overcome isolation challenges. Additionally, learn about the synthesis and process development of an antiviral drug through a multi-kg case study, and delve into the world of organometallics in flow chemistry.

In line with our commitments around diversity, equity and inclusion, we are proud to be part of this initiative that encourages collaboration and innovation in process chemistry.

"Micellar Catalysis: Enabling Sustainable Chemistry in Water"

João Sardinha, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, R&D Process Chemistry Development

September 24 from 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM

Description: Micellar chemistry, often referred to as micellar catalysis, presents a greener alternative to traditional organic solvents. Although water can occasionally replace solvents effectively, its compatibility with organic reagents is not always ideal. Nevertheless, recent developments have led to the introduction of innovative additives, such as aqueous micelles that function as "nanoreactors". These nanospheres, formed by surfactant molecules create a unique environment that enables chemical transformations in aqueous media. This advancement represents a significant step forward in sustainable chemistry, reducing reliance on harmful solvents and promoting environmentally friendly practices in chemical synthesis.

At Hovione, we have been exploring the application of micellar chemistry in various types of reactions, namely amide bond formation, SNAr, Suzuki couplings, nitro reductions, Buchwald-Hartwig amination among others. Several examples and comparison with traditional organic solvent methods will be presented. Additionally, a comparative study of an alkylation reaction in the synthesis of a Hovione API will be showcased, highlighting the superior efficiency, safety, and environmental benefits of micellar chemistry over the existing organic solvent process. The micellar process was successfully developed and optimized by means of Design of Experiments (DoE) ensuring robust and effective conditions. Following successful scale-up, we are about to implement this process at the pilot plant scale.

Schedule your meeting today and find out how we can support your project.

Find more about OPR&D Conference

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Drug Substance at Hovione

Your partner in custom development and manufacturing of APIs.

Schedule a meeting with our experts to learn more about our custom development and manufacturing of APIs. With worldwide locations, an exemplary regulatory track record and a ‘can do’ approach, our experienced development and manufacturing teams will provide the competence, capacity, safety and quality you expect to manufacture your product on time, on budget and to the very highest standards.

Curious about how combining human expertise with advanced computational models can enhance green chemistry principles in sustainable process chemistry?

Read our article, ‘Benchmarking Strategies of Sustainable Process Chemistry Development: Human-Based, Machine Learning, and Quantum Mechanics’ published in OPR&D Journal here.

Also in the Press Room

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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

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