Press Room

Press Release / Dec 22, 2023

Hovione awarded prestigious industry medal by Macau Government

Hovione was recently awarded the Medal for Industrial and Commercial Merit by the Macau Government. Hovione started its manufacturing operations in Macau in 1986, producing lifesaving off-patent pharmaceutical actives for the world.

Hovione_Macau_Medal_for_Industrial_and_Commercial_Merit

22 December, 2023, Hovione is delighted to announce that the Hovione Macau site has been awarded the Medal for Industrial and Commercial Merit by the Government of Macau, a Special Administrative Region of the People´s Republic of China.

The site underwent its first of many successful FDA inspections in 1987 and ever since has produced off-patent pharmaceutical actives, which are sold in the global market and boost Macau´s exports. With 180 employees, it is the largest pharmaceutical site in Macau.

Over the years, Hovione has worked with a range of governmental departments to support the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Macau. This includes collaborating with the Macau Labor Affairs Bureau to develop the local workforce and create careers in the pharmaceutical industry. Hovione also works with the Education and Youth Development Bureau to organize visits from schools and universities and to arrange internships within the company for students. Team members are also invited by Macau University to give lectures on good manufacturing practice (GMP) and chemical analysis.

Eddy Leong, Site Manager of Hovione Macau said: “It is our great honor to receive this Medal of Merit. We would like to express our gratitude to the Macau SAR Government and all sectors of society for recognizing the company's nearly 40 years of presence and industrial activity in Macau. At Hovione, our motto is “In it for life” and this award not only reflects our long and successful history in Macau, but also points to our successful future here. It also reflects our commitment to work with partner organizations to create rewarding career opportunities in life sciences.”

The Medals of Merit cover seven categories (Industrial and Commercial, Tourism, Education, Culture, Altruism and Sports). They are intended to reward individuals or organizations that stand out in the exercise of their professional activity.

 

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 manufacture of 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 devices. 

Hovione's culture is based on innovation, quality and dependability. 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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