Press Room

Press Release / Sep 20, 2019

Hovione announces successful end-of-phase 2 meeting with the FDA and outlines phase 3 program for minocycline topical gel

Hovione announced details of its planned MARS-2 and MARS-3 (Minocycline Against Rosacea Study) Phase 3 development program for the treatment of moderate to severe inflammatory rosacea.

Cork, Ireland, 20th September 2019 – Hovione announced details of its planned MARS-2 and MARS-3 (Minocycline Against Rosacea Study) Phase 3 development program for the treatment of moderate to severe inflammatory rosacea. At a recent End-of-Phase 2 meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Hovione received guidance for the design and clinical endpoints for HY01, topical minocycline gel 3%.

Based on the review of the Phase 2 clinical trial which enrolled 270 subjects across 3 treatment arms (HY01 Gel, 1%, HY01 Gel, 3%, and vehicle), FDA has supported advancement to Phase 3. The two, US based, pivotal studies will enroll 750 subjects each with the primary endpoints of absolute reduction in inflammatory lesions at week 12 compared to baseline and the achievement of “clear” or “almost clear” and a 2-grade reduction on the Investigator Global Assessment. Additionally, Hovione will complete a maximal use study in subjects with papulopustular rosacea. Assuming replication of the clinically significant improvements in subjects with moderate to severe papulopustular rosacea observed in Phase 2, Minocycline Topical Gel may offer a safer alternative to modified-release doxycycline, which is the only tetracycline approved for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of rosacea1. If approved, Minocycline Topical Gel will provide an important alternative treatment option targeted to the site of action and as thus avoiding the systemic side effects of oral doxycycline.

Hovione’s topical minocycline is the only program under development that uses a proprietary, crystalline form of the drug as minocycline base, conferring differentiated properties of potentially lower skin irritability based on its lower acidity and superior stability, as compared to its generic alternative. Hovione has secured patents for both the drug substance and the drug product globally with exclusivity through 2033. Hovione’s topical minocycline uses a novel proprietary excipient that reduces Trans-Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) and provides a moisturizing, skin-barrier effect, potentially conferring relief to dry cracked skin of some rosacea patients. Minocycline is proven to have a potent anti-inflammatory effect,2 potentially superior to other tetracyclines. 

Guy Webster, M.D. Ph.D., dermatologist at the Sidney Kimmel School of Medicine of Thomas Jefferson University stated: “Approximately two-thirds of oral antibiotic prescriptions written by dermatologists are for doxycycline and minocycline for either acne or rosacea. Both compounds are only available for oral delivery and carry a risk of side effects. Hovione’s topical minocycline has a systemic exposure 1000 times lower than oral minocycline and provides a topical alternative with a moisturizing formulation. “

Hovione anticipates initiating the Phase 3 trial subject to entering into a strategic collaboration with a commercial partner, by fourth quarter of 2019, aiming at filing the NDA during 2021.

 

About Rosacea

Papulopustular Rosacea (PPR) is a chronic facial skin disease presenting most commonly in adulthood, with an estimated 16 million patients in the United States. PPR is characterized by inflammatory lesions (papules, pustules) on the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead.  PPR has been shown to have a negative impact on quality of life. Surveys conducted by the National Rosacea Society have shown that approximately 70% of rosacea patients experience lower self-confidence and lower self-esteem. Forty-one percent stated they avoid public contact and cancel social engagements during an exacerbation2. 

Strategic Partnership

Hovione is seeking strategic partners with proven regional or global commercial expertise in dermatology capable of maximizing the value of the First Topical Minocycline Gel for Rosacea.

 

About Hovione
Hovione is an international company with 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the US, Macau, Ireland, and Portugal, and development laboratories in Lisbon and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and cGMP-compliant manufacture of innovative drugs including highly potent compounds. For generic pharmaceutical customers the company offers niche API products. Hovione also provides proprietary product development and licensing opportunities for drug products. In the inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services.

 

  1. Two randomized phase III clinical trials evaluating anti-inflammatory dose doxycycline (40-mg doxycycline, USP capsules) administered once daily for treatment of rosacea.
    Del Rosso, James Q. et al.
    Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 56, Issue 5, 791 – 802
     
  2. Minocycline: far beyond an antibiotic.
    Garrido-Mesa N. et al.
    British Journal of Pharmacology. 2013;169(2):337–352. doi:10.1111/bph.12139

 

 

Also in the Press Room

See All

Key Takeaways Commissioning a US-based ConsiGma CDC Flex line enables end-to-end spray drying-to-tablet manufacture within a single site and quality system, reducing comparability and technology-transfer burdens. Elimination of conventional scale-up is enabled by using the same equipment from early development through commercial supply, minimizing engineering runs and conserving scarce API. Operational flexibility spans batch or continuous modes and 1–200 kg/h throughput, with scale adjustment achieved by switching continuous blenders rather than replatforming processes. High-containment design to 1 µg/m³ expands suitability for highly potent oral solid-dose programs while maintaining integrated development-to-commercial workflows. Regulatory momentum for continuous manufacturing is supported by ICH Q13 harmonization, increasing FDA approvals, and platforms leveraging inline PAT and automated control suites for real-time quality assurance. Hovione announced on Oct. 5, 2026, that it will commission the ConsiGma CDC Flex, a next-generation continuous direct compression tableting platform jointly developed with GEA. The investment is designed to link amorphous solid dispersion manufacturing via spray drying with commercial tablet production at a single US site operating under one quality system. The line will run in either continuous or batch mode at throughputs from 1 to 200 kg/h. Formulation development can begin with as little as 1.5 kg of material, and the same equipment can then support everything from very small clinical batches to large commercial runs, enabled by a design that allows the system to switch between continuous blenders of different sizes. The installation will also be contained to 1 µg/m³ to accommodate highly potent compounds. "Hovione will be the first company in the world to offer the ConsiGma® CDC Flex, bringing this next-generation technology with unprecedented flexibility, simplicity and cost-efficiency in continuous tableting," said Marco Gil and António Almeida, co-CEOs, Hovione, said in a press release. "This investment also advances our strategy of building integrated capabilities close to customers in key markets. By adding this new line at East Windsor, we are broadening access to this technology in the U.S. and giving customers a more direct and accelerated path for developing and commercializing complex oral medicines." What Does a Single Development-To-Commercial Line Change? For formulators and process engineers, the most consequential claim is the removal of traditional scale-up. Moving a process from development equipment to commercial equipment typically requires engineering runs, bridging work, and consumption of scarce API, all of which weigh heavily on early programs with limited material. "Installing the CDC Flex at 89 Twin Rivers makes continuous tableting part of an integrated US development and manufacturing workflow," said David Basile, Vice President of Technical Operations, Hovione, in the press release. "Customers can move from formulation and particle engineering to commercial tablets with one Hovione team and one quality system, eliminating traditional scale-up while gaining greater production flexibility, process control and supply continuity." Co-locating spray drying and tableting is also significant because amorphous solid dispersions remain a primary solubility-enhancement route for poorly soluble molecules, and transferring intermediates between sites or vendors adds technology transfer and comparability burdens. The new line builds on the company's earlier US expansion; Hovione recently completed a $100 million investment to bolster US capacity in particle design, amorphous solid dispersions via spray drying, and batch and continuous tableting. How Is the Regulatory Environment Shaping Continuous Tableting Adoption? The company points to the 2022 adoption of ICH Q13, which provides harmonized guidance for continuous manufacturing of drug substances and drug products across the US, Europe, and Japan. Hovione reports that, as of 2024, FDA alone had approved 17 products manufactured under the guidance. Speaking on ICH Q13, FDA's Kelley Burridge, PhD, "Perceived barriers to continuous manufacturing have been falling one by one," and noted an FDA publication showing faster approval times for products with continuous manufacturing elements than for comparable batch products. The platform incorporates inline process analytical technology and automated controls for real-time quality monitoring, along with SimpleCT, an automation and control suite intended to support a single process from development through commercial supply. For sponsors weighing supply resilience and regional sourcing, the East Windsor installation extends a capability that Hovione says only it currently offers as a contract development and manufacturing organization.   Read the full article at PharmTech.com  

Press Clipping
PharmTech, 5 October 2026

Can Continuous Tableting End Scale-Up for Complex Oral Drugs?

Oct 05, 2026

Formulation Development/Drug Product Manufacturing  Hovione Completes $46-M Tablet Mfg Facility Expansion  Hovione, a CDMO of drug substances and drug products, has completed an expansion of its tablet development and manufacturing center at its main global campus in Loures, Portugal, adding 25% more commercial-scale batch tableting capacity for oral solid dosage products. The expansion strengthens integrated manufacture of amorphous solid dispersions by spray drying and tableting at a single site. The recently inaugurated expansion completes an investment cycle of more than EUR 40 million ($46 million).  Hovione expanded its batch tableting capacity by adding an additional line mirroring the original unit across every local operation: dispensing, blending, dry granulation, tableting, and film coating. The mirrored configuration reinforces capacity at the 300 kg to 400 kg batch scale and provides both redundancy and like-for-like product transfers between lines. Supporting areas, including in-process control and staging space sized to the increased production capacity, were also added as part of the expansion.  Read the full article at DCATVCI.org  

Press Clipping
DCAT Value Chain Insights, 3 September 2026

Supplier News: Lonza, Evonik, Hovione, Catalent & More

Sep 03, 2026

The company is building out more than 200,000 square feet of space in New Jersey. In April, Contract Pharma had the opportunity to tour Hovione’s expanded manufacturing facility in East Windsor, NJ. The company is planning a formal ribbon-cutting this fall; before that, we got an inside look at some new features. Having established United States operations in 2002, Hovione now has more than 200,000 square feet of space in New Jersey. This will be developed into a large, integrated campus in the next five to ten years. Overall, the company’s recent NJ expansion, which began in 2025, has tripled its total spray-drying capacity in the U.S. Future Facility Upgrades A 125,000-square-foot greenfield acquired by Hovione at the East Windsor campus will eventually be a large-scale production site. This includes enhanced quality control and R&D capabilities. Together, all this adds to Hovione’s stable of manufacturing sites, R&D centers, and other offices spread across three continents. Key to the expansion is a targeted reduction of Hovione’s carbon footprint by 40% by the year 2030. Part of this goal is embracing new and/or changing solvent types to help meet sustainability standards. Additionally, the company says automation that has been put in place at its Portugal site will be replicated in NJ. Hovione Aligns NJ Operations At the Drug, Chemical & Associated Technologies Association (DCAT) Week in New York in March, Contract Pharma met with Hovione. There, David Basile, Vice President of Technical Operations—Americas, further illustrated the New Jersey expansion. “Hovione aims to build an equivalent manufacturing network, where clients can go to any site across the globe,” Basile said. “The design of the facility has been well-thought through with material flows [and] gravity-fed processes. It’s scalable. We call each one of these building segments a finger. You can copy and paste these fingers, and they are built to house both spray drying and drug product assets.” Ultimately, with these moves and a strategic partnership model, Hovione aims to provide customers an opportunity to co-invest and access the company’s proprietary knowledge and assets to accelerate programs and create long-term value. Read the full article at ContractPharma.com    

Press Clipping
Contract Pharma, 31 July 2026

Hovione Planning Ribbon-Cutting at NJ Facility – A Behind-the-Scenes Preview

Jul 31, 2026

Also in Events

See All