Press Room

Press Release / Jun 16, 2016

Hovione announces the groundbreaking expansion plans of its New Jersey Facility

Hovione announced today that it held on June 8th the official groundbreaking for the expansion of its New Jersey facility in East Windsor, USA

New Jersey Site Expansion CDMO Continuous Manufacturing | Hovione

Loures, Portugal, June 15, 2016 – Hovione announced today that it held on June 8th the official groundbreaking for the expansion of its New Jersey facility in East Windsor, USA.

The expansion will add an additional 30,600 ft² (2,843 m²) to the existing 24,000ft² (2,211m²) facility. It will introduce a new commercial spray dryer unit to complement the existing pilot unit and this installation will be specifically designed to handle potent drug substances (APIs). In addition the Hovione New Jersey facility will more than double its capacity to manufacture drug substance. The expansion is expected to add approximately 60 new jobs to the current workforce over the next three years.

“The start of the construction activities to expand our site in East Windsor is a very exciting moment for us and for our customers. This is an important step to strengthen our continued commitment to the pharmaceutical industry and to the patients by offering innovative technologies and services. The site will be unique in offering at a single location drug substance, spray drying, hot melt extrusion and drug product manufacturing services using innovative continuous manufacturing technology. The state and especially the local government have been extremely supportive and we are happy to strengthen our presence in East Windsor by creating highly qualified jobs in the local community” said Dr. Marco Gil, General Manager, Hovione New Jersey.

“This investment is part of the company’s strategy to increase its global development and commercial capacity which will meet the increasing demands of Hovione’s customers in the API and Spray drying services. It will also include the addition of a continuous drug product manufacturing capability to its offering through the partnership with Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced earlier this year” said Kristine Senft, Vice President Marketing and Sales. 

The start-up of the operation is expected to take place in April 2017 for the drug substance and spray drying services while the continuous drug product manufacturing is planned for the end of 2017.

 

About Hovione

Hovione is an international company with over 50 years’ experience in the development and compliant manufacture of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Drug Product Intermediates. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland, and Portugal, and development laboratories in Lisbon and New Jersey the company focuses on the most demanding customers in the most regulated markets. The company also offers branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative new drugs, and is able to support highly potent compounds. In the inhalation area Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services.

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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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