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Lisbon, Portugal, 25 September 2025 – Hovione, a Portuguese-founded multinational and family-owned business specialized in the development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, has received the Leonardo da Vinci Prize 2025, awarded by the Hénokiens Association and the Château du Clos Lucé. In its 14th edition, the prize was presented in Lisbon to Ms. Diane Villax, founder and member of the Board of Directors of Hovione, by former Portuguese Deputy Prime Minister Paulo Portas, before an audience of global business leaders and public figures.
“This award recognizes Hovione’s commitment to science, innovation and service to patients worldwide. It reflects the values that have guided us from the start – honesty, integrity, scientific rigor and teamwork – with a long-term vision that puts people and progress at the center. Above all, it is a tribute to the people of Hovione, whose passion and dedication ensure we remain, in every sense, In it for life,” said Diane Villax, Founder and member of the Board of Directors of Hovione.
“This recognition strengthens our resolve to build for the future, drawing on our heritage, culture, and the passion of our employees as we expand our global reach to partners and patients. We remain dedicated to advancing innovation, deepening partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry, and ultimately helping deliver better medicines to improve lives,” said Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, CEO of Hovione.
Founded in 1959, Hovione remains a family-owned company, employing 2,400 people across five manufacturing facilities (Loures and Seixal - Portugal; New Jersey - US; Cork - Ireland; and Macau), two R&D centers, and eight regional offices worldwide. With a strong scientific foundation, the company supports the pharmaceutical industry in addressing its most complex challenges and has contributed to 29 new drugs approved by the US FDA in the last decade, representing in some years as much as 10% of the total, improving the lives of an estimated 80 million patients every year.
Hovione has played a decisive role in some of the world’s greatest public health breakthroughs - from manufacturing ivermectin, the Nobel Prize-winning treatment for river blindness, to producing three of the four hepatitis C drugs that have cured over 4 million patients, and enabling the world’s first COVID-19 approved treatment, Veklury®, which reached 6.5 million patients. Beyond science, the company has shown a strong commitment to society, from donating nearly 1 million bottles of sanitizing gel during the pandemic, to investing in education through supporting Nova University school of Sciences and Technologies, the significant financial contribution to NOVA School of Business and Economics, among other, and recently becoming the new official sponsor of the Portuguese National Rugby Team, including support for youth talent development.
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 manufacturing, capsule filling and devices. Hovione's culture is based on innovation, quality and dependability. Hovione is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.
About Henokiens Association
The International Henokiens Association, created in France in 1981, brings together bicentennial family businesses from around the world. Descendants of the founders are still the owners or majority stakeholders of the 57 member companies, based in 10 countries. Through its members and the values they embody, the association aims to promote the concept of the family business as an alternative to multinationals. www.henokiens.com
About Château du Clos Lucé
Château du Clos Lucé - Parc Leonardo da Vinci, located in Amboise, is the residence where Leonardo da Vinci settled in 1516 at the invitation of King Francis I. Appointed “First Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King”, he worked tirelessly on numerous projects before passing away 500 years ago. The Saint Bris family has owned the property since 1855, and opened this cultural landmark to the public almost one hundred years later, in 1954. The family’s mission is to pass on the universal heritage, memory and knowledge of Leonardo da Vinci’s work to as many people as possible. In 2019, the Château du Clos Lucé welcomed 520,000 visitors, 25% of whom were from abroad. It is the 3rd most visited monument in the Loire Valley. Thanks to digital technologies, Clos Lucé is continuing its digital transformation and in June 2021 inaugurated the Leonardo da Vinci Painter and Architect Galleries, a new 500 square metre cultural facility. Visitors are immersed in the creative process and the entire painted work of the Renaissance genius in an immersive audiovisual show. www.vinci-closluce.com/en
