Press Room

Press Release / Sep 05, 2019

Hovione celebrates its 60th Anniversary in Cork

Loughbeg, Co. Cork. Thursday, September 5th, 2019: Hovione is celebrating its 60th Anniversary today in its site in Cork.

Guy Villax Simon Coveney Manufacturing Plant Ringaskiddy Cork, Ireland | Hovione
From left to right: Mr. Guy Villax, Hovione’s CEO, Mr. Simon Coveney, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland

 

Hovione is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to helping pharmaceutical customers bring new and off-patent drugs to market. Hovione was established in Portugal in 1959 and today employs 1,742 people worldwide. The Cork site was established ten years ago and currently employs over 210 full-time team members.

“I’m delighted to see the Cork site playing such an important part in the success of this impressive company,” said Simon Coveney TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade speaking at the celebration event for Hovione’s 60th anniversary. “Hovione has seen steady growth over the last few years and I’m confident that the coming years will be equally successful for the Cork team.”

“Our Cork site plays a significant and strategic role within the Hovione network,” said Hovione CEO, Guy Villax, who was in Cork for the anniversary celebrations. “With two Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient facilities alongside a Drug Product Intermediate facility that houses the largest commercial pharmaceutical spray dryer in operation, the Cork site boasts both extensive manufacturing capacity and people capability.”

Over the last five years, the Hovione Cork site has invested close to $30 million in new processing equipment, new analytical equipment, upgrading the facility to contemporary standards, re-instatement of a third production building and the installation of new technologies. 

“Hovione is a fast, challenging, dynamic environment and the team here in Loughbeg are the reason for our continued success,” said Dr. Paul Downing, General Manager at Hovione Ireland. “Since 2014, we have undergone a significant change in terms of increased volume output and increased capacity utilisation. Along the way, we have further diversified our portfolio, increased complexity, transferred products from sister facilities and increased the number of customers we serve.”   

Hovione is a proud member of the Ringaskiddy and Loughbeg communities in which it is based and maintains strong links with the local community and sporting organisations. Hovione is an active member of Business in the Community and holds the Business Working Responsibly mark. The Cork site is also a signatory to the Business in the Community Low Carbon Pledge.

 

About Hovione

Hovione has almost 60 years of experience as a Specialist Integrated CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) offering from drug substance to drug product intermediate to drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USMacauIreland, and Portugal, and development laboratories in Lisbon and New Jersey, the company provides branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs and is able to support highly potent compounds. For generic pharmaceutical customers the company offers niche off-patent API products. In the inhalation area Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services.

 

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Hovione is bringing momentum to the intranasal field after announcing that its lead single-use nasal dry powder device, developed in collaboration with Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd (IDC), is now available for commercial partnerships. The milestone marks the transition from prototype to a fully integrated intranasal drug delivery platform that spans Hovione’s end-to-end partnership capabilities–from API synthesis through advanced formulation and particle engineering to drug product manufacturing, including device supply and advanced analytical tools for nasal performance characterization. The platform’s single-use device is designed to be manufacturable at scale and to leverage existing advanced particle engineering and drug product manufacturing capabilities, a practical advantage that can shorten timelines to clinic and commercialization while reducing development risk and cost. The device’s patented mechanism supports targeted nasal deposition, including access to the upper olfactory region. This enables rapid systemic absorption and potential nose-to-brain delivery pathways that are increasingly important for CNS and emergency-use indications. Beyond the single-use format, Hovione and IDC are advancing a multi-dose variant to broaden applicability across dosing regimens and therapeutic areas. The collaboration is backed by an intellectual property portfolio and initial patent grants, positioning the platform as a turnkey option for pharma partners seeking a single integrated supplier for both drug substance and device. This development arrives as intranasal delivery gains traction for systemic, CNS and rapid-onset therapies. This is precisely the focus of the upcoming 4th Nasal Formulation & Delivery Summit, for which Hovione is a key sponsor. The annual summit unites formulation, delivery and product development leaders to tackle drug-device compatibility, translational preclinical models, and strategies for scalable, regulatory-ready intranasal programs. Hovione’s recent progress will be highly relevant to attendees looking to de-risk nose-to-brain and systemic intranasal programs. Read the full article at News-Medical.net    

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