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Press Release / May 09, 2022

Hovione and JIXING Announce an Exclusive Global License Agreement for Ophthalmology Program

Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, announced today an exclusive license agreement for a preclinical ophthalmology program, JX08, with Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals Limited (JIXING).

Hovione and JIXING Agreement

Lisbon, Portugal and Shanghai, China, 9 May 2022 – Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, announced today an exclusive license agreement for a preclinical ophthalmology program, JX08, with Ji Xing Pharmaceuticals Limited (JIXING). 

JIXING is a biotechnology company headquartered in Shanghai and backed by RTW Investments, LP (RTW), a leading life sciences investment firm, that is focused on advancing innovative medicines for patients with ophthalmic and cardiovascular diseases. Under the license agreement, JIXING will receive global rights to JX08 and lead the full life cycle of development from preclinical through commercialization. 

“We are excited to partner with Hovione and today’s agreement further strengthens JIXING’s ophthalmology pipeline beyond its current focus on presbyopia and dry eye disease,” said Peter Fong, PhD, board executive director, JIXING. “In addition, this agreement marks a significant step for the company as it highlights its development from a China focused, late clinical-stage biotech to an innovation pioneer with full life cycle development capabilities to reach customers and patients globally.”

“We are extremely pleased to enter into this partnership with JIXING and help the company build upon its existing ophthalmology pipeline while further enhancing Hovione’s leadership position in spray dried dispersions” said Marco Gil, VP Sales at Hovione adding “Our highly experienced and committed teams can support pharma and biotech companies worldwide on their path to clinical success and commercialization, offering the best scale-up science, extensive manufacturing capacity and an excellent approval track record.”

This Global License Agreement is aligned with Hovione’s strategy to offer integrated product solutions for drug delivery that co-create value with its partners and enable the development of innovative medicines that maximize patient benefit. 

Destum Partners acted as business development and licensing transaction advisor to Hovione. 
 

 

About JIXING: JIXING is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Shanghai committed to bringing innovative science and medicines to underserved patients in China with serious and life-threatening diseases. Backed by RTW Investments, LP, JIXING was founded in 2019 and partners with global biotechnology companies to develop and commercialize novel, innovative therapeutics to treat unmet medical needs in cardiovascular and ophthalmic diseases. With a strong and further developing asset pipeline, seasoned management team, and patient-centric focus, JIXING is dedicated to delivering a meaningful and lasting impact on patients in Greater China. For further information about JIXING, please visit www.jixingbio.com 

 

About Hovione: Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a fully integrated offering of services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. 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 is the only independent company offering a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and devices. Hovione is a company with a culture based on innovation, quality and delivery. Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to become a Certified B Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.

 

 

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In an interview with Executiva, a portuguese media outlet focused on women´s leadership, Diane Villax, co-founder and long-standing leader of Hovione, reflects on her journey and the company’s development over more than six decades. Diane Villax’s career began at a time when few women worked outside the home. At 19, she joined a trading company as a foreign languages correspondent, where she developed essential business skills — including commercial correspondence, banking and export procedures — that later proved instrumental in helping her husband, Ivan Villax, establish Hovione in 1959. From its earliest days operating in the family home in Lisbon, Hovione adopted an international outlook. The company’s first major customers were in Japan, setting demanding quality standards that helped shape its long-term position in global markets. Over the following decades, Hovione expanded its footprint with the construction of its first manufacturing site in Loures (1969), followed by expansion to Macau (1986), the United States (New Jersey, early 2000s) and Ireland (Cork). The company grew into a global organization with more than 2,500 employees — including over 300 scientists — and a reputation as a preferred supplier to leading pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Throughout the interview, Diane highlights the values that have guided the company’s development: a commitment to excellence, a strong work ethic, and a focus on quality and long-term relationships. Although she did not have formal business training, she learned “on the job” and brought discipline, precision and structure to her role — particularly in the company’s early financial and administrative leadership. Now in her nineties and an active member of Hovione’s Board of Directors, Diane Villax remains engaged with the company’s evolution and governance, reflecting a continued commitment to its long-term development. Her story reflects entrepreneurial drive, resilience and long-term leadership — and offers insight into the values that have shaped Hovione’s trajectory for more than six decades. Read the full interview at Executiva.pt (in portuguese).    

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