Press Room

Why you shouldn’t neglect the importance of blending people, culture, and strategy to foster success in a business. People, customer centricity, and a clear strategy bring strong values to the forefront of every business. Fostering a workplace that inspires motivation and enhances employee satisfaction enables team members to bring their best selves to work each day, driving innovation and excellence. Earlier this year, CDMO Hovione demonstrated success by being certified as a Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute (TEI) across all four of its global manufacturing sites in Portugal, Ireland, the US, and Macau, for the third consecutive year. We spoke to board member and Senior Vice-President of Human Resources at Hovione Ilda Ventura to find out how. What specific strategies and initiatives have you implemented to maintain the company’s Top Employer status?   We started the latest TEI Certification in 2023. Since then, we have been focusing on areas that can differentiate us as employers. In the US, for example, we have invested in bringing more proximity to the HR team, improving our listening strategy and the employee experience. The initiatives span from establishing better alignment between the business strategy and the people strategy, living our values and celebrating our successes. We are accelerating our global growth while strengthening our operations worldwide. It is essential for us to ensure that all our employees, regardless of their location, enjoy a consistent and unified work experience. Having all four of our sites recognized by TEI confirms that we are on the right path. What changes have been made to Hovione's recognition and rewards programs to motivate employees?   By implementing a global job architecture with clear career roadmaps supported by a performance and compensation annual cycle. Everyone is eligible to merit remuneration increases and bonuses, and the corporate results are shared with everyone in a transparent way. This allows us to create a culture of recognition, where individual contributions are valued and aligned with the company's overall success. It fosters motivation and engagement, ensuring employees feel appreciated for their efforts and understand how their work directly aligns with our purpose. This culture not only enhances employee satisfaction, but strengthens our ability to attract and retain top talent.  How important is it to monitor consistent employee engagement and satisfaction across global locations?   Our employee engagement survey results are carefully reviewed and discussed both locally and globally, ensuring we address the unique needs of each region while driving company-wide progress. We prioritize actionable improvements that resonate with our teams, engaging cross-functional and geographically diverse groups to implement meaningful change.  Across our sites, we’ve made significant investments tailored to each region while maintaining a unified approach to employee satisfaction. In the US, where employees value transparency, recognition, and growth opportunities, we’ve enhanced communication, feedback channels, and career development pathways. Similarly, in Portugal, Ireland, and Macau, we’ve introduced initiatives to promote collaboration, recognition, and personal growth, ensuring all employees experience a sense of belonging and purpose.  The actions we take are closely monitored, and every improvement is shared openly across all locations, fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and celebration that connects and empowers our workforce.  How are you working to attract and retain top talent in the competitive pharma industry?   We continuously strive to strengthen our reputation as an employer of choice. Participating in TEI allows us to have an independent assessment of our HR efforts and initiatives, ensuring that we are continuously improving and aligning with best practices. In addition, we have robust referral programs in place, supported by the fact that over 70 percent of our employees are strong promoters of the company. This is a testament to the positive culture we’ve built, and we are focused on leveraging this strength to attract and retain top talent.  In what ways does the company communicate and reinforce its core purpose and values among employees?   Our motto is “In it for life” – so, for example, every year we celebrate in each site our “Victory Over Diseases” by communicating the new products that we are manufacturing, as well as the new patents and innovative ideas that contribute to fighting diseases and improving global health. Contributing to saving the lives of billions of people worldwide is a way to motivate our people to challenge themselves and push the limits of innovation. By celebrating our achievements and their impact, we inspire our teams to think creatively, embrace new challenges, and contribute to solutions that make a real difference in the world. It´s an invitation to live our purpose.  Macau was the first site in the region to earn Top Employer certification last year and has renewed it this year. What unique challenges and successes have been experienced in achieving and maintaining this status in Macau?   Macau is unique. It’s the only site in this industry in the territory, so we have taken advantage of that to differentiate ourselves as an employer by collaborating with universities and local authorities to offer career opportunities and benefits that are a reference in the region.  What areas have you identified for continuous improvement in workplace practices and employee satisfaction in the future?   We will continue to strengthen our employee value proposition by mapping the employee journey and addressing every touchpoint to enhance the overall experience. Both people and business needs are constantly changing. It requires continuous adaptation of processes to meet evolving expectations. If I had to highlight one key focus, it would be alumni engagement. The Hovione community is extensive and goes beyond our current team members. We see a clear opportunity to create an alumni program to stay connected with those who have been part of our journey.    Read the full article on themedicinemaker.com    

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The Secret to Being a Good Employer

Feb 13, 2025

Three is the magic number for Hovione as it’s once again been certified as a top employer. For the third consecutive year, all four of its manufacturing sites - Lisbon, Cork, East Windsor in USA, and Macau - have been certified as Top Employers by the Top Employers Institute. Hovione is an international integrated pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisation. This certification follows, Hovione said, a rigorous audit process. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Chief Executive Officer, Hovione, explained: “This recognition reflects the exceptional dedication and collaboration of the entire Hovione team. Hovione is a development and manufacturing service company operating in one of the most demanding and regulated industries. We understand that our success is deeply rooted in our people. “Together, as One Hovione, we are committed to continuously refining our practices to foster a workplace that inspires motivation and enhances employee satisfaction, so that, every day, our team members bring their best selves to work, driving innovation and excellence at every step,” Jean-Luc added. Ilda Ventura, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Member of the Management Board, Hovione, said: “This distinction underscores our unwavering commitment to our people. At Hovione, we design our HR systems and processes to ensure that every team member enjoys a consistent and fulfilling experience, regardless of their role, function, or location.” Imelda Cummins, HR Director for Hovione Ireland, said: “This distinguished accreditation is a testament to our commitment to establish frameworks to attract, engage and retain top talent. We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and this recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team who strive every day to foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration. Receiving the Top Employer accreditation is motivation for us to keep pushing the boundaries of what it means to be an exceptional employer.” Hovione recently celebrated the opening of a multi-million euro expansion at its site in Ringaskiddy, which almost doubled the capacity of its spray drying facilities.   Read the full article on CorkIndependent.com  

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Hovione gets top employer accolade

Jan 22, 2025

International pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Hovione has today officially commissioned an expansion at its manufacturing facility in Ringaskiddy. The multi-million euro investment almost doubles the capacity of Hovione’s spray drying facilities in Ireland and will create more than 20 new positions. Hovione said this latest investment reinforces the company's position as a global leader in spray drying for pharma applications.   This manufacturing technology, the company explained, is "especially important for inhalable therapies and oral medications with low bioavailability, enabling more effective treatments".  Deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork, councillor Audrey Buckley said:  “I am delighted to welcome this very significant investment and the creation of further highly skilled jobs in Cork today.  “It reinforces Hovione’s commitment to the region and the innovative solutions it provides to the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.” Meanwhile Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner-Designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law, welcomed the expected jobs boost the expansion is to create.  “This latest investment highlights the success of Hovione’s facility in Ringaskiddy, and underlines the continued resilience of Ireland’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.  “I am delighted that Hovione will be shortly welcoming new team members to this expanded facility, and I wish both them and Hovione every success”. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione's chief executive said: “This newly opened facility further strengthens Hovione's position as the global CDMO of choice for spray drying development and manufacturing services.  “It also underscores our commitment to bringing first-in-class technology and world-leading manufacturing services to Irish shores.  “Ireland provides a superior environment for pharmaceutical manufacturing, and we are delighted to be a part of it.” CEO of IDA Ireland, Michael Lohan, said Hovione "has made a significant contribution both locally and nationally through employment and investment alike". "We warmly welcome Hovione’s commitment to investing in Cork and we wish them continued success," he added.    Read the full article on EchoLive.ie    

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Pharma company announces expansion of Cork facility to create more than 20 new jobs

Nov 25, 2024

Pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing company Hovione has officially commissioned an expansion at its manufacturing facility in Ringaskiddy, Cork.  Announcing the development on Monday, the multi-million euro investment almost doubles the capacity of Hovione’s spray drying facilities in Ireland and will create more than 20 new positions. This manufacturing technology is especially important for inhalable therapies and oral medications with low bioavailability, enabling more effective treatments, the company said. Deputising for the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr. Audrey Buckley said: “I am delighted to welcome this very significant investment and the creation of further highly skilled jobs in Cork today.  "It reinforces Hovione’s commitment to the region and the innovative solutions it provides to the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.”  Michael McGrath, the European Commissioner-Designate for Democracy, Justice and the Rule of Law said: “This latest investment highlights the success of Hovione’s facility in Ringaskiddy, and underlines the continued resilience of Ireland’s pharmaceutical manufacturing sector. "I am delighted that Hovione will be shortly welcoming new team members to this expanded facility, and I wish both them and Hovione every success”. This latest investment builds on the momentum of the recently announced spray drying capacity expansion at the Company's East Windsor, New Jersey, site.  Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione´s Chief Executive said: “This newly opened facility further strengthens Hovione´s position as the global CDMO of choice for spray drying development and manufacturing services.  "It also underscores our commitment to bringing first-in-class technology and world-leading manufacturing services to Irish shores. Ireland provides a superior environment for pharmaceutical manufacturing, and we are delighted to be a part of it.” IDA chief executive Michael Lohan said the company has made a significant contribution both locally and nationally, adding: "I am pleased to be here today to mark another step on that journey. We warmly welcome Hovione’s commitment to investing in Cork and we wish them continued success.”   Read the full article on IrishExaminer.com  

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Pharma company Hovione to double capacity at Cork site as part multi-million euro investment

Nov 25, 2024

Pharmaceuticals manufacturer Hovione has been awarded a Medal of Merit for industry and commerce in the government’s 2023 honours list, with Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng praising the company’s contributions to Macao’s emerging life sciences industry. The Portuguese company’s Macao site manager, Eddy Leong, said in a statement that it was a “great honour” to receive the Medal of Merit – which he saw as a tribute to almost 40 years of local work in the science sector. “At Hovione, we like to say that we are ‘in this for life’ and I feel that this award reflects not only our long and successful history in Macao, but also points to our successful future here,” he said.  “It also reflects our commitment to work with partner organisations to create rewarding career opportunities in life sciences,” Leong added. Hovione was founded in 1959 in Portugal and opened its Macao plant in the mid-1980s. The facility produces generic active pharmaceutical ingredients and is located in Taipa, on the site of the old Him Un Iec Kei Chan firecracker factory. Other 2023 honourees include wushu athlete and Asian Games gold medalist Li Yi, who received a Silver Lotus, and the Portuguese-language educator Felizbina Carmelita Gomes – currently director of the D. José da Costa Nunes Kindergarten. Gomes was awarded a Medal of Merit for education.   Read more at Macao News  

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Hovione ‘delighted’ by its Medal of Merit

Dec 27, 2023

Hovione has acquired start-up company, ExtremoChem, expanding its technology platforms.   Specialist integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Hovione, has acquired ExtremoChem, which is a start-up company with a portfolio of rare sugars, expanding its technology platforms. According to a Nov. 16, 2023 press release, the acquisition gives Hovione access to ExtremoChem’s portfolio of rare sugars. These high-performance functional materials are synthetic analogues of the natural molecules found in extremophiles–organisms that can survive in uninhabitable environments—and have shown the potential to stabilize biopharmaceuticals during production, purification, formulation, and transportation. “Proteins and other biopharmaceuticals account for a significant share of our customers’ pipelines,” said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, CEO, Hovione, in the press release. “The acquisition of ExtremoChem’s synthetic sugars combined with Hovione's particle engineering capabilities provides our customers with a unique set of tools to optimize formulations that address stability issues encountered during the life cycle of biopharmaceuticals.” “I am delighted that ExtremoChem has been acquired by Hovione,” added Filipe Aguiar, managing director, ExtremoChem, in the press release. “Hovione has a long history of developing and industrializing innovative technologies for the pharma industry. This acquisition will help ensure that the science we developed at ExtremoChem will have a wider and faster market adoption.” This latest news from Hovione further bolsters the company’s position in seeking to expand its technology platforms, which it reports is needed to meet customer demand for integrated and differentiated development and manufacturing services. The acquisition of ExtremoChem adds to new partnerships forged by Hovione, such as that with H&T Presspart for the advancement of a dry powder inhaler platform and with Ripple to expand the use of the Epidel platform beyond ophthalmic applications.   Read the full article at PharmTech.com    

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Hovione Expands Technology Platforms with ExtremoChem Acquisition

Nov 23, 2023

In the year 2021, when COP26 was held in Glasgow, Sterling Pharma Solutions came out announcing an ambitious target: to reduce the CDMO’s overall emissions by 50% by 2025 and by doing so, joining the international community’s fight against climate change. The CDMO Recipharm expanded its pressurized metered dose inhalers (pMDI) product development the following year to accommodate the switch to new propellants, which have 90% to 99.9% lower global warming potential than HFA134a. In the same year, WuXi STA won top scores from EcoVadis, a provider of business sustainability ratings, for their API and formulations factories located in China. Again, in January, Samsung Biologics was awarded the 2022 Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Seal in recognition of its commitment to achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions across its direct operations and supply chain by 2050 or earlier. Similarly, Cytiva says its goal is to eliminate polystyrene from the company’s packaging materials and supply chain by 2025. These are just a few examples of a growing trend. A number of CDMOs are accelerating their environmental drive setting themselves far more ambitious targets than these as sustainability goals are now becoming one of the most urgent business strategies facing pharma companies. Presently, analysts say that there is a move away from sustainability being seen as something that is nice to have, to something more fundamentally important to businesses. "Sustainability commitments are no longer just desirable," says Jon Peers, director of sustainability at Hovione. "They are becoming mandatory, both directly by our regulatory authorities and indirectly by the regulatory and financial requirements faced by our customers." Hovione, a leader in spray drying and particle engineering, became a Certified B Corp in 2017 integrating an innovative community of companies that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. Pharma’s outsized impact Medicine making leaves an environmental impact which is quite massive. Estimates show that the pharmaceutical sector is accountable for as much as 4.4% of worldwide emissions—and if no action is taken—its carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas (GHG), emissions are predicted to triple by 2050. Not only manufacturing but the distributing and transporting of medicines from the factory to the patient also carries a substantial environmental footprint. According to the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s (SMI) “Decarbonizing Healthcare Supply Chains” whitepaper, the biopharma industry is responsible for 4–5% of global GHG emissions, with most of its carbon footprint coming from supply chain, manufacturing, retail, and logistics. Having felt the heat, many leading pharma companies are already ahead of the curve on the path to net-zero carbon emissions. They have made carbon neutrality and net-zero pledges, some for as early as the next decade. Sustainability metrics: High on the agenda CDMOs demonstrate a strong determination to reduce their carbon emissions as environmental performance is being added to the list of demands by their clientele. Industry reports show that full waste recycling, green power percentage and green chemistries currently play a crucial role during negotiations between pharmaceutical companies and the CDMOs. These “sustainability metrics” are becoming increasingly important even as technology, track record, capacity, and cost are still the most important criteria for selecting CMOs/CDMOs. "Recognizing our commitment and progress made towards our sustainability targets, clients will seek out not only providers of CDMO services but also those companies with the competence to execute these services in harmony with the client’s respective sustainability goals," says Paul Zuechner, director, sustainability and reliability engineering, pharma services, Thermo Fisher Scientific. Thermo Fisher, which offers end-to-end solutions to small molecules as well as biologics, announced an acceleration of the target to reduce scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions to more than 50% by 2030. Zuechner maintains that the increasing focus on sustainability, resource and decarbonization quantifications is now elevating sustainability towards an equal project deliverable on par with cost, quality, and timelines. The sustainability initiatives by CDMOs are not only driven by customer preference but also by regulatory requirements, according to Peers of Hovione. Regulated and standardized reporting is there. The European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) together with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) is significantly raising the required levels of compliance. On top of this, businesses must meet their stakeholder’s requirements to provide material information that stands up to scrutiny. Headquartered in Loures-Portugal, Hovione believes that it is simply not possible to meet the challenging goals that have been set by the companies themselves on sustainability without further innovation, particularly through process intensification and the greening of pharmaceutical intermediate and API manufacturing. Safety via process efficiency Without question, manufacturers are aggressively pursuing various strategies to enhance processes as it becomes a business imperative for the service providers. "Olon tries to optimize plants' performances, in order to reduce the amount of energy, materials and natural resources they need,'' says Giorgio Bertolini, senior vice president of R&D, Olon Group, a global leader in the development and production of APIs, headquartered in Milan, Italy. Olon is working on cutting-edge R&D processes applied both to chemistry, in terms of flow chemistry, photochemistry, and electrochemistry, and to biotechnologies. Investing in and developing technological advances allows the organization to combine well-established practices with new ones, to guarantee efficient and successful manufacturing processes, at the same time ensuring safe, fast and cost-effective commercial processes. "We consider climate protection and the related reduction of GHG emissions to be a top priority," emphasizes Bertolini. To increase efficiency and reduce the energy required for production, especially in the functioning of reactors, Olon is implementing several continuous manufacturing processes, investigating both the flow chemistry approach and the continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) These approaches entail leaving no batch reactors with loading and unloading phases but keeping constantly active production units—either microreactors or small classical reactors. The outcome is that, at the same levels of production, continuous manufacturing processes can reduce the footprint of the manufacturing process in comparison with standard methods. This innovative production technique, he explains, enables a double positive impact in terms of sustainability. Indeed, it allows for the use of smaller amounts of material for the unit time, therefore resulting in increased local temperature control and in the possibility to avoid extreme temperatures, making the manufacturing process less energy intensive. It also provides greater safety for operators. The industry is now facing a change of paradigm, avers Bertolini, in which there is a continuous exchange of knowledge and information between the chemical and engineering sectors, which eventually results in the creation of new specific know-how and business synergies. Olon started constructing a new facility at its Rodano site (Milan, Italy) dedicated to ultra-potent compounds, used for antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). Circular business models that combine a responsible use of natural resources and raw materials with a responsible waste management approach are what Olon strives to promote, according to Bertolini. Greening the supply chain To reduce effluents and design safer alternatives to hazardous processes organizations extensively explore the use of safer and more sustainable chemicals. This green chemistry approach can minimize the risk of impact on the environment to a great extent. Olon, for instance, is focusing on green chemistry projects for the replacement of chlorinated solvents and the reduction of critical substances which could be particularly toxic, especially in new manufacturing processes. Not only in manufacturing, quite a few companies are investing in greener biofuels (rather than diesel) for vehicles. As mentioned, distributing and transporting medicines from the factory to the patient also leaves a large carbon footprint. Temperature-sensitive products are loaded onto refrigerated vehicles to maintain cold-chain which require a considerable amount of energy to power. Environmental credentials are now integral to all supply chain decisions. There is almost a universal consensus on this approach, shows the CPHI sustainability sentiment index. In data released ahead of CPHI Frankfurt 2022, 95% of industry executives suggest it is either “important” or “extremely important” (52%) to have visibility on supply chain partners. Scope 3 emissions: Key challenge In comparison to the scope 3 tally that falls not within the organization's boundary, scopes 1 and 2 emissions are relatively minor. However, within these scopes, electrical energy consumption in manufacturing and the fugitive emissions from hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) released during pMDIs product lab testing are the highest. pMDIs and anesthetic gases can be particularly serious for global warming. The UK and several countries in the EU block including Belgium, and the Netherlands are now promoting dry powder inhalers in prescription guidelines. Meanwhile, the common general anesthetic desflurane is being replaced by lower-carbon alternatives in countries like Sweden. Scope 3 emissions, however, make up the majority of the pharma sector’s carbon footprint. Even though many CDMOs have set ambitious targets like striving for carbon neutrality across the entire value chain already by 2030, many are still simply focusing on scope 1 and 2 emissions. Observers say that this is largely because the need for sustainability in the pharmaceutical industry has become more apparent only in recent years. Another concern is the cost factor. According to Peers of Hovione, decarbonization costs in particular can be very expensive and require strategic planning and commitment from senior management to meet associated capital and operational costs. The sustainability challenge, he says, needs to be considered throughout the drug development life cycle, starting from simple assessments against sustainability principles and metrics early on and growing in detail and robustness as the drug progresses through the cycle. Shift in focus Experts, however, see a shift across the industry. Discussions about sustainability are taking place at the highest levels. An increasing number of pharmaceutical companies are prioritizing it when discussing projects with their CDMO partners. "Be it the fulfillment of new technical capabilities, increased production capacities, advancing regulatory compliance and now sustainability target introductions—it’s natural for us to solve for and achieve our customers’ product development, manufacturing, and corporate goals in partnership,” says Zuechner of Waltham, Massachusetts-headquartered Thermo Fisher. It will be essential for drug makers and their CDMO partners to work together on questions of sustainability, and to be ready with a sustainability agenda before starting to work on the project, in the coming years. It is important for CDMOs, says Peers, that their clients and suppliers share the same vision of a more sustainable industry as collaboration across the value chain is key to leveraging knowledge and driving change.   Read the article at contractpharma.com  

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Net-Zero Pledge: CDMOs Go Greener

Jul 19, 2023

  The demand for inhalable drugs that require higher drug loads and the delivery of cohesive materials has increased Hovione and H&T Presspart have entered into a strategic partnership to advance the development of Presspart's Sunriser Capsule-based Dry Powder Inhaler platform.  The demand for inhalable drugs that require higher drug loads and the delivery of cohesive materials has increased, making it necessary to develop more efficient solutions. To meet this demand, the two companies will work together to develop the Sunriser Dry Powder Inhaler. This innovative and best-in-class capsule-based platform is flexible enough to address both the challenges of classic carrier-based and spray-dried engineered formulations. This partnership is an extension of a successful collaboration that has spanned several years on developing and commercialising innovative dry powder inhalation devices. As part of the joint development agreement, Hovione will exclusively partner with Presspart to exploit the Sunriser device in the field of engineered formulations for dry powder inhalation.  Presspart will remain responsible for the manufacturing of the Sunriser device. To provide further insights into the benefits of this partnership for the industry, a joint workshop will be held on May 3, at the Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD) Europe 2023. "New inhalable therapies are often requiring delivery of higher doses of cohesive and sensitive powders. Our priority is to ensure maximum efficiency in delivering these drugs to the right locations in the lung,” said Dr Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione’s CEO. He added: “We are thrilled to expand our current partnership with Presspart and combine our expertise in the fields of engineered particles and inhalers for the benefit of our customers and patients.”  Christian Kraetzig, President of H&T Presspart, commented: “Following our successful collaboration with Hovione on the PowdAir Plus DPI device development, we are once again extremely pleased to be working with Hovione in developing this next generation high performance DPI device. As the market leader in respiratory components and devices, this strategic partnership will allow H&T Presspart to expand its portfolio within the growing field of dry powder technology.” Pharmaceutical companies partnering with Hovione to develop their new inhalable drugs using the Sunriser device can leverage Hovione´s unparalleled expertise in inhalable APIs, formulation, filling, and analytical characterisation.  Additionally, with H&T Presspart's state-of-the-art device manufacturing and supply, from lab to commercial cGMP scale, companies can benefit from a comprehensive approach to drug development. This partnership enables pharmaceutical companies to access top-notch expertise and cutting-edge technology, ensuring the successful development and commercialisation of innovative inhalable drugs.    Read the article at manufacturingchemist.com  

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Hovione and Presspart extend technology partnership

May 03, 2023

  The move is set to expand the use of Ripple's Epidel platform beyond ophthalmic applications Hovione, specialist in spray drying and particle engineering, and Ripple Therapeutics, a leading ophthalmic sustained drug delivery company, have entered a strategic partnership to expand the use of Ripple's Epidel platform beyond ophthalmic applications.  The core feature of Ripple’s Epidel technology is the ability to deliver sustained-release pharmaceuticals with surface erosion release kinetics without the use of polymers or excipients. This enables higher drug loading, smaller size implants, defined and predictable biocompatible degradation products with straightforward and scalable manufacturing processes. Surface erosion-based drug release provides a highly effective way to control dose and duration. By incorporating Ripple's Epidel platform into its toolbox, Hovione can expand its portfolio of novel drug delivery solutions to the pharmaceutical industry. “The combination of technology synergy, innovative vision and cultural fit makes collaborating with Hovione an exciting next step in the advancement of the Epidel platform beyond the ophthalmic field,” stated Dr Wendy Naimark, Ripple co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. “Hovione’s expertise in controlled, sustained drug delivery, along with their experience in chemical synthesis and pharmaceutical manufacturing, makes for a great partnership.” "We are thrilled to partner with Ripple, who developed a state-of-the-art platform for sustained release," said Dr Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione's CEO. "Our shared goal is to accelerate and broaden the access to this highly innovative and enabling technology for the benefit of our pharmaceutical customers and their patients worldwide."    Read the article at manufacturingchemist.com  

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Hovione enters partnership with Ripple Therapeutics

Mar 21, 2023

Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, won the 2023 CDMO Leadership Award across all six categories – capability, compatibility, expertise, quality, reliability and service across all three groups of respondents (Big Pharma, Small Pharma, and Overall (combined Big and Small Pharma)). Hovione was given additional recognition as a CDMO Leadership Award Champion in the categories of Compatibility and Expertise for scoring as a top performer in comparison to the weighted average of other CDMOs included in the Industry Standard Research (ISR)’s annual Contract Manufacturing Quality Benchmarking survey.  Established in 2011 by Outsourced Pharma and Life Science Leader, the CDMO Leadership Awards spotlight excellence in Capabilities, Expertise, Quality, Compatibility, Reliability and Service. The CDMO Leadership Awards teamed up with ISR to determine the award recipients – 72 contract manufacturers were assessed by 23 performance metrics in ISR’s annual Contract Manufacturing Quality Benchmarking survey.  “We are honored and proud to receive this award in all six categories. This broad recognition reflects the dedication of our team to help our customers deliver much-needed medicines to the market,” said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione’s CEO. “This is not the first time Hovione is recognized by the CDMO Leadership awards and winning these awards once again reinforces our commitment to excellence and differentiation in the services we provide to our customers.”  “For over a decade, these awards have been the most meaningful for biopharma organizations striving to obtain optimal outcomes from their outsourcing activities. Our research arm, ISR Reports, which only surveys drug sponsors who have worked directly and recently with specific CDMOs, ensures the validity of these results. Our winners are your gold medalists of outsourcing,” said Louis Garguilo, Chief Editor and Conference Chair of Outsourced Pharma. Hovione has been expanding worldwide, demonstrating the commitment to its customers. Hovione has been investing in new laboratory and production assets and innovative technologies to meet customer demand for integrated and differentiated services in manufacturing of drug substances, particles and drug products.    Read the entire article at Teknoscienze.com     

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Hovione receives the 2023 CDMO Leadership Award in all six categories and is champion in Compatibility and Expertise

Mar 14, 2023

  The two companies, who had previously established a customer-supplier relationship, have created an agreement to advance the technology and to encourage adoption. Hovione and GEA will work together on continuous tableting technology, pairing the former's development and manufacturing expertise with the latter's engineering capabilities. In terms of their respective capacities, Hovione is a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing services for drug substance and drug product. GEA is a supplier for systems and components for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as the food and beverage industry. The aim of the partnership is to accelerate the adoption of continuous tableting technology, and also to contribute to the establishment of new standards and market acceptance of the technology, the two companies stated. In looking to promote continuous processes, the companies outlined that such systems allow for leaner and risk-reduced development paths, streamlined supply chains, increased built-in quality, and that the manufacturing processes themselves have greater flexibility and reduced complexity. Both companies have been working in the continuous manufacturing space for a number of years. Nearly a decade ago, GEA began working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to validate continuous manufacturing, with the company stating at the time that the arrangement marked the "start of the end of batch manufacturing". For Hovione, the company stated that it has been actively working on developing continuous tableting solutions for the last seven years, and it recently invested in the technology within its own manufacturing network. In September 2022, Hovione announced that it had opened a new continuous manufacturing line at its Loures site, in Portugal. At the same time as the new line, the company established a multi-disciplinary global team specialized in continuous tableting. On its latest move in the continuous tableting space, Hovione's CEO, Jean-Luc Herbeaux, stated, "Hovione has a track record in industrializing and democratizing emerging pharmaceutical technologies, such as amorphous solid dispersions by spray drying, and turn them into dependable and scalable offerings that are available to all... This collaboration with GEA, gives us the opportunity to link up with a leading designer and supplier of continuous tableting equipment solutions and bring continuous tableting to the next levels of reliability, flexibility and adoption". In a recent interview with Outsourcing-Pharma, Bikash Chatterjee, CEO of Pharmatech Associates, stated that there is a growing momentum behind the switch to continuous manufacturing, even though this has been spoken of for a number of years. Chatterjee noted that one aspect that could accelerate this shift is the national policy in the US to increase the manufacturing of certain pharmaceuticals on home soil. As a result, more efficient manufacturing, such as continuous, will be required to make the process commercially viable.   Read the entire article at Outsourcing-Pharma.com    

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Hovione and GEA aim to increase adoption of continuous tableting

Jan 04, 2023

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