Loures, Portugal, September 13, 2010. Hovione is announcing the approval in Japan of Inavir®, Dry Powder Inhaler 20mg, for treatment of influenza. This approval has been granted to Daiichi Sankyo Company Ltd, a licensee of Hovione for the TwinCaps® inhaler which delivers the drug to the lungs.

Hovione developed the TwinCaps® inhaler specifically for this indication. Inavir® directly delivers the drug to the infected airways of influenza patients, and a single inhaled dose has proven to be as effective as a five-day course of oseltamivir for treatment of influenza. Daiichi Sankyo has announced it is confident that Inavir® will be an important alternative for treating influenza. According to Hovione, the low cost of the device means the inhaler can be disposable and is thus ideally suited for the treatment of lung infection. As bacteria or viruses are present in the airways, a disposable inhaler may be safer than a re-usable one.

Peter Villax, TwinCaps® inventor and Hovione Vice-President said “This approval will boost visibility for TwinCaps®, an inhaler designed for extreme ease of use, as would be necessary in the case of a pandemic.” 

Jason Suggett, Hovione Director of Pharma Operations said “We have a number of inhaled drug product development projects ongoing, and our in-house particle engineering expertise means that we can deliver large doses of powder from inhaler devices.”

About Hovione

Hovione is a leading developer of inhaled drug products, with experience in anti-virals and proteins delivered by inhalation, as well as inhaler development. It is an international company with 51 years’ experience in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient integrated development and compliant manufacture, from molecule to unit dose. In the inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company offering such a broad range of services.

For further information about Hovione, please visit the Hovione site at www.hovione.com or contact Corporate Communications (Isabel Pina, + 351 21 982 9362, e-mail: hello@hovione.com)