Press Room

Event

ConsiGma® Connect

Start

Tuesday, October 22, 2024 - 08:00

End

Thursday, October 24, 2024 - 18:00

Location: Mumbai and Hyderabad, India

ConsiGma® Connect India is a premier event that brings together experts, innovators, and decision-makers from the pharmaceutical industry to explore the latest advancements in continuous manufacturing technology. Organized by our long-term partner GEA, this event is dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge solutions that aim to revolutionize pharmaceutical manufacturing by improving efficiency, reducing costs, and accelerating the time to market for critical therapies.

The focus of the event is to highlight the growing role of continuous manufacturing, which represents a significant paradigm shift in drug production. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the latest technological developments, operational benefits, and real-world case studies from industry leaders who have successfully implemented continuous manufacturing processes.

As a leading CDMO company in continuous tableting, Hovione is proud to contribute to this transformative event. Our expert, Dr. Sarang Oka, will be presenting on the real-world applications and challenges of implementing continuous tableting technology at a commercial scale.

On October 22 and 24, don't miss the session "Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Continuous Tableting: A CDMO Perspective"

Abstract: Continuous manufacturing of tableted drug products or continuous tableting (CT) represents a paradigm shift in pharmaceutical manufacturing, promising increased efficiency, reduced costs, and accelerated pathways for drug approval. These opportunities represent an increasing incentive for technological adoption in light of an ever evolving, competitive industry environment. However, on the road to fully realizing these opportunities are also challenges, both tangible and perceived, that must be addressed in order to facilitate widespread adoption. Some well documented challenges, from an end user perspective include, higher degree of complexity in the operation, non-harmonious regulatory expectations, a more intensive cleaning operation compared to batch processing and challenges with implementation of online and real time process monitoring (PAT) technology.

The objective of this talk is to present a CDMO perspective on the aforementioned challenges and subsequent mechanisms to tackle them. This is done with the help of case studies including an example of commercial implementation of CT at Hovione. Hovione’s collaborative work with GEA on creation of tools that simplify manufacturing operations and increase equipment flexibility will also be shared. Concluding comments will constitute key learnings from the implementation of the technology at Hovione.

Key Learnings:

Learn about important considerations in commercial implementation of continuous tableting. This includes lessons learnt over the course of the lifecycle of implementation starting from installation of the equipment, through qualification, tech transfer and finally during commercial manufacturing.
Learn about the latest development from the Hovione-GEA partnership on continuous tableting, specifically, on a flexible approach to direct compression along with the latest advances in technology simplification.

Who Should Attend:

Individuals and organizations who wish to hear peer experience about the implementation of continuous tableting technology.
Current and aspiring practitioners of technology who are curious about operational challenges, and opportunities to tackle them.

Featured Hovione experts in this session
	Sarang Oka Production Senior Manager Drug Product Continuous Manufacturing Speaker Bio: Dr. Sarang Oka is a Scientific Fellow at Hovione where he is tasked with intensifying the implementation of continuous tableting within the organization. In his prior roles at Hovione, Dr. Oka was responsible was various functions at Hovione’s continuous drug product manufacturing installation (CT501) in East Windsor, New Jersey, including PAT, technical services and manufacturing operations where he successfully led the validation and tech transfer of a commercial program from one of Hovione’s partners to CT501. Dr. Oka received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University. Dr. Oka holds a BS in chemical engineering from Mumbai University

Featured Hovione experts in this session

Sarang Oka

Production Senior Manager

Drug Product Continuous Manufacturing

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Sarang Oka is a Scientific Fellow at Hovione where he is tasked with intensifying the implementation of continuous tableting within the organization. In his prior roles at Hovione, Dr. Oka was responsible was various functions at Hovione’s continuous drug product manufacturing installation (CT501) in East Windsor, New Jersey, including PAT, technical services and manufacturing operations where he successfully led the validation and tech transfer of a commercial program from one of Hovione’s partners to CT501. Dr. Oka received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers University. Dr. Oka holds a BS in chemical engineering from Mumbai University

Learn more about the ConsiGma® Connect in India.

You might be interested in:

The Future is Continuous

Meet our experts and find out if Continuous Tableting is right for your product.

Webinar - Register today for the most comprehensive three-part webinar series about Continuous Tableting (CT) for drug product. Hovione will be joining experts from Merck, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and GEA Group to present the "Opportunities, Challenges and Success in Implementing Continuous Tableting – From R&D to Commercial Manufacturing".
Scientific Article - Read our latest scientific article about Continuous Tableting - “Continuous Tableting and the Road to Global Adoption

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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

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

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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

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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

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Speciality Chemicals, Nov./Dec. 2025