Press Room

Press Release / Sep 19, 2024

Hovione and iBET Announce the Establishment of ViSync® Technologies: A Venture in Cell and Gene Therapy Solutions

Commitment to partnership and joint innovation for cell and gene therapies

Jean-Luc Herbeaux, CEO of Hovione, Paula Alves, CEO iBET, and João Almeida Lopes, President of iBET | Hovione

From left to right: Jean-Luc Herbeaux, CEO of Hovione, Paula Alves, CEO of iBET, and João Almeida Lopes, President of iBET.

 

Lisbon, Portugal: Hovione, the specialist integrated CDMO and leader in spray drying and particle engineering, and iBET (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica), a private not-for-profit research-intensive SME in the area of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, are proud to announce the official establishment of ViSync® Technologies as a jointly owned venture.

The creation of this new company, headquartered in the Lisbon area of Portugal, illustrates the parent companies´ commitment to partnership and joint innovation. ViSync® will aim to develop innovative solutions to address the unmet technical needs of pharmaceutical companies in the cell and gene therapy space, leveraging Hovione's extensive expertise in pharmaceutical development, Particle Engineering and industrialization of pharmaceutical technologies and iBET's cutting-edge research in biotechnological sciences. One of the first focus areas of ViSync® will be to develop technologies that improve delivery and stabilization of new modality therapies.

"We are delighted to join forces with iBET - a leading R&D organization in Biotechnology and Life Sciences – in the establishment of ViSync®.” says Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione’s CEO. “By combining Hovione´s expertise in drug formulation, manufacturing process development and scale up with iBET´s broad understanding of new modalities, we aim to devise new solutions to help pharma companies launch innovative medicines and improve health outcomes for patients.”  

“The creation of ViSync® marks a significant milestone for iBET.” says Paula Alves, CEO of iBET. “By combining our cutting-edge biotechnological research in the cell and gene therapy fields with Hovione’s extensive pharmaceutical development expertise, we are well-positioned to develop innovative approaches for targeted delivery and stabilization of new modality therapies. We are excited about the potential of ViSync® to drive substantial advancements and deliver significant benefits to patients worldwide.” 

 

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 manufactureof 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 iBET
iBET is a private non-profit institution devoted to biotechnology research, with 35 years of experience creating and transferring knowledge to the global biopharma and biotech sectors. iBET’s core expertise lies on the development of bioprocesses and analytical tools for Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (ATMPs), including cell and gene therapies, vaccines, antibodies and other innovative therapeutic products. Leveraged by the emerging areas of Data Science and Translational Immunology, we offer bespoke R&D services from early-stage R&D to GMP manufacturing.  
 
iBET’s infrastructure comprises cutting-edge laboratories, a GMP certified Analytical Services Unit, and a Late-Stage R&D and Bioproduction Unit, covering upstream and downstream process development, bioanalytical tools for critical quality attribute monitoring, to scale-up and tech transfer. iBET also hosts satellite laboratories of major pharmaceutical companies and serves as an incubation platform for start-up/spin-off companies. 
 
iBET is driven by its innovative and agile culture of continuous improvement and a strong sense of ambition, ownership and commitment in developing and delivering the best solutions to our stakeholders.

 

 

Also in the Press Room

See All

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    

Press Clipping

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  

Press Clipping

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

Nov 25, 2024

Hovione’s Eunice Costa Shares Insights on Inhaled Medicine Formulation in Pharmaceutical Technology eBook The demand for efficient inhalation therapies is higher than ever. At Hovione we are focusing on particle size, dispersion performance, and formulation integrity to ensure optimal bioavailability and patient outcomes.  To learn more about or work, do not miss the contribution of Eunice Costa, our R&D Director for Inhalation & Advanced Drug Delivery, in the latest Pharmaceutical Technology eBook – “Trends in Formulation”.  In her interview, Eunice discusses key challenges and considerations in formulating inhaled medicines, emphasizing the importance of excipient selection, device compatibility, and patient-centric design for successful drug delivery to the lungs. With respiratory diseases at the forefront, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for efficient inhalation therapies is higher than ever. Eunice sheds light on how Hovione is tackling these demands by focusing on particle size, dispersion performance, and formulation integrity to ensure optimal bioavailability and patient outcomes. Explore Eunice Costa’s full insights on this crucial area of drug development in Pharmaceutical Technology's September 2024 eBook. This resource provides an in-depth look into the complexities of inhaled drug formulations and the exciting innovations shaping the future of respiratory treatments.   Read the full article at Pharmaceutical Technology eBook Read the Trends in Formulation eBook at PharmTech  

Article

Formulating Inhaled Medicines

Sep 24, 2024