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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    

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Contract Pharma, 31 July 2026

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

Jul 31, 2026

The podcast "The Next Discovery" is a six-episode series created by Observador, a leading Portuguese digital newspaper and radio station, in partnership with Hovione.   From hospitals to patients’ homes, discover the solutions that make it possible to administer high-dose biologics with greater comfort, less pain, and more freedom in treatment. What if some of the scientific breakthroughs that could improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? The Next Discovery. Listen to the last episode of the podcast here, featuring João Pires and Joana Cristóvão from Hovione’s Research and Development Center. [English transcription] Nelson Ferreira (NF): Welcome to the sixth and final episode of The Next Discovery, a podcast series in which Hovione opens the doors to its world to share the global impact of innovation developed in Portugal. I’m Nelson Ferreira, and throughout this journey we have explored chemical processes, ultrafine particles, and revolutionary production lines. Today, we look directly at the future of medicine. After exploring the world of small molecules, we are now entering a new therapeutic dimension: biologic medicines. Based on larger and more complex molecules, these treatments are opening new possibilities for addressing a wide range of diseases. To explain how this field is evolving and how science can make these treatments more effective, stable, and accessible to patients, I’m joined by João Pires and Joana Cristóvão from Hovione’s Research and Development Center. NF: Welcome to you both. João, let me start with you. For someone who has never heard this term before, what exactly are biologic medicines, and what sets them apart from small-molecule drugs, which are more closely associated with traditional chemistry? João Pires (JP): If we think about the medicines we find in pharmacies today, most of them are indeed composed of small molecules. These are simpler structures that are still highly effective and that we can design and manufacture through what we call classical chemistry, a field that has developed its knowledge over the last 150 to 200 years. Biologics are completely different. Because of their complexity, larger size, and structure, they differ mainly in their origin. They are produced from living organisms, such as cells, which, under the right conditions, can function as biological factories. Just as in our own bodies, they allow us to produce and extract substances that can have a significant therapeutic effect for certain diseases. In that sense, biologics benefit from millions of years of evolution, something classical chemistry simply does not have. NF: Biology is what carried out that evolution. JP: Exactly. Biology. That’s part of the beauty of it. NF: Nature carried out that entire process for us. NF: Joana, since these medicines are created from living organisms, can we say they are, in a way, more “intelligent” and have greater therapeutic potential? Joana Cristóvão (JC): In some cases, they do have tremendous therapeutic potential. One of the advantages of these molecules is their remarkable specificity. You can think of it as a key fitting into a lock. It has to be the right key. Biologics, because they speak the same biological language as our bodies, have this advantage. However, that does not mean they are better than small molecules. It means that, because they are produced by living microorganisms, they are highly complex and would be very difficult, and in some cases impossible, to produce through traditional chemical synthesis. Their great strength lies in their specificity. Examples of biologics include proteins that facilitate communication within the body and monoclonal antibodies that identify specific targets. These functions are particularly suited to biologics and less common among small molecules. NF: João, as I understand it, this is still an emerging field worldwide. How did Hovione, a company historically linked to chemical synthesis and small-molecule particle engineering, decide to embrace the challenge of biologics? JP: Honestly, it has been a very natural transition. Over the years, Hovione has developed highly specialized expertise in chemistry, particle engineering, and formulation science. When we look at biologics, despite their greater complexity, the underlying challenge is very similar. These medicines still require materials, processes, and controls to ensure they reach patients safely, consistently, and effectively. NF: But is there real potential? JP: Absolutely. Not only is there potential, but there are also significant challenges. This leads to the second point: curiosity. Throughout Hovione’s history, starting with our founder, there has always been a drive to embrace increasingly complex challenges. That curiosity is part of our DNA, particularly within our Innovation and Development Center. It is also one of the most rewarding aspects of working at Hovione: being part of this transition. NF: And it is not that far removed from Hovione’s history either. JP: Exactly. NF: Joana, in which therapeutic areas have biologics already had the greatest impact? Are there diseases where they have clearly transformed patient treatment? JC: There are several areas. NF: So this is no longer science fiction. It already exists in practice. JC: Exactly, and it has existed for quite some time in some fields. In oncology, for example, antibodies are used to target and kill cancer cells with high specificity. Instead of attacking cells broadly, these treatments target the disease’s underlying mechanisms. NF: Which I assume reduces side effects. JC: It does. Cancer is also a very clever disease. It evolves rapidly and often hides from our immune system. There are biologic therapies designed to help our natural defenses do their job by removing the “invisible cloak” that some tumors use to evade detection and progress rapidly. Another classic example is diabetes. Insulin has been the most common treatment for diabetes for decades. Before biotechnology, insulin was extracted from animals, making production limited. With biotechnology, we gained the ability to produce human insulin, known as recombinant insulin, using living microorganisms. This transformation made the treatment available to far more people and has saved countless lives. NF: Two clear examples where biologics are already making a difference. João, these medicines are on the market today, but I imagine developing and stabilizing them in the laboratory presents major technical challenges. What are they? JP: Because these molecules are highly complex and, as Joana described, quite elegant, they are also extremely sensitive, almost like greenhouse flowers. Biological evolution has optimized them to survive under very specific conditions, conditions that often do not exist during manufacturing, transportation, or administration. As a result, they are highly sensitive to heat, air, pressure, and even prolonged contact with one another. When these molecules interact too much, they can lose their structure and unfortunately their therapeutic effect as well. This is where we come in. Clients often approach us with molecules that have tremendous therapeutic potential but are still only proof-of-concept projects. Our role is to take those early experimental results and develop the controls, processes, and formulations needed to scale production to thousands or even millions of doses while maintaining impeccable quality and stability. NF: Joana, how are these medicines administered? Are they different from conventional drugs? Traditionally, many biologics require intravenous administration in a hospital setting. Is that still the case? JC: Traditionally, yes. Most biologics are administered directly into a vein through an infusion, similar to receiving an IV drip. However, the pharmaceutical industry is not only focused on treating diseases. It is also increasingly focused on the patient experience. These treatments require hospital visits and can take time to administer. For chronic illnesses, this process repeats throughout a patient's life. The industry's goal is to develop alternative treatments that are more comfortable and give patients greater independence. NF: So they would no longer need to go to the hospital. JC: Exactly. The ultimate objective is to create injectable solutions that patients can administer themselves. Achieving this requires innovation in technology, formulation development, and medical devices. NF: João, this is where high-concentration formulations come in. What does that mean in practice? Could we eventually administer these medicines ourselves without the help of a nurse? JP: We certainly hope so. The concept of high-concentration formulations is relatively simple: fitting as much medicine as possible into the smallest possible volume. Ideally, that volume is small enough to fit into something like an auto-injector that can be carried in a pocket. NF: A pen-like device. JP: Exactly, a pen. Thanks to newer treatments, particularly in areas such as obesity, these devices have become much more familiar to the public. Technically, it sounds simple: more medicine, less liquid. But as we discussed earlier, these molecules are highly sensitive. As concentration increases and the molecules become more crowded together, challenges emerge. In addition to stability concerns, there is the issue of viscosity. This is easy to visualize: the more concentrated something is, the thicker it becomes. NF: Which makes it harder to inject. JP: Exactly. And greater viscosity generally means greater pain during administration. That directly contradicts the goal of developing treatments that are more convenient and patient-friendly. This is one of the major challenges facing the industry today: finding ways to overcome dose limitations and reduce administration volumes without compromising therapeutic effectiveness, convenience, or patient acceptance. NF: Joana, before we finish, what do scientists feel when they look toward the future and see Hovione’s work helping bring medicine closer to solutions that are increasingly personalized, convenient, patient-centered, and comfortable? JC: I think it is a tremendous responsibility, and that responsibility is also a major source of motivation. Medicine is becoming increasingly personalized and focused on the biological mechanisms that cause disease rather than simply treating symptoms. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of teams contributing to this journey toward a better future, one that places patients at the center. NF: João, is the future biological? JP: Not exclusively, but certainly in part. Biologics allow us to dream bigger. They open the door to better, more personalized, and more effective medicines, creating possibilities that were difficult to imagine until now. NF: João Pires and Joana Cristóvão, thank you for opening the doors to the future of medicine. With this look toward tomorrow, we conclude the first season of The Next Discovery. Over the course of six episodes, we traveled from a basement laboratory in Lisbon in 1959 to global technological leadership that now touches the lives of more than 80 million people every year. These conversations have shown that with curiosity, rigor, and talent, the next great scientific breakthroughs can indeed bear the signature of our country. To listen to all episodes of this series, visit observador.pt or your favorite podcast platforms. Until the next discovery.

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Observador Lab, 23 julho 2026

Podcast “The Next Discovery” (EP6) - High-Dose Biologics: From Fiction to Reality

Jul 23, 2026

The podcast "The Next Discovery" is a six-episode series created by Observador, a leading Portuguese digital newspaper and radio station, in partnership with Hovione. From asthma to therapies that may one day reach the brain, we follow Hovione’s journey in respiratory and nasal drug delivery, where every particle is engineered to improve patients’ lives. What if some of the scientific breakthroughs that could improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? Welcome to The Next Discovery. Listen to the fifth episode of the podcast here, featuring Eunice Costa, Director of Research and Development Center at Hovione. [English transcription] Nelson Ferreira (NF): Welcome to The Next Discovery. This is a partnership between Rádio Observador and Hovione, a six-episode series where we open the doors to science and innovation with global impact. I’m Nelson Ferreira, and today we’ll explore how the respiratory system and the nasal route are being used to deliver medicines throughout the body in fast and innovative ways. Joining us is Eunice Costa, Director at Hovione’s Research and Development Center. NF: Hello, Eunice, and welcome. Hovione’s history is closely linked to the lung. More than two decades ago, you began developing and manufacturing solutions for inhaled medicines. What are the major diseases whose treatment has advanced significantly with the help of these innovations? Eunice Costa (EC): Hello, Nelson. Thank you for the invitation. To begin with, respiratory diseases are among the most prevalent conditions and have a tremendous societal impact. We have asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. The technology required to manage these diseases, from molecule design to formulations and delivery devices, is fundamental to making them manageable. While they certainly have a significant impact on patients’ daily lives, these conditions can be effectively controlled, allowing people to live normal lives. NF: Especially because some of them aren’t curable. EC: Exactly. NF: COPD is one example. EC: That’s right. The medicines available today are primarily aimed at disease management, particularly bronchodilation, keeping the airways open and unobstructed. NF: Is that what an asthma inhaler does? EC: Exactly. That’s what the asthma inhaler does, the device everyone recognizes. It’s probably the most iconic example, and one that we often see used incorrectly in movies. NF: Really? Is it also what we use during a spirometry test? EC: Spirometry is primarily a diagnostic test that measures lung capacity when disease is already present. NF: But an inhaled medication is also used during the procedure, right? EC: Exactly. NF: Today, Hovione is also proud to offer end-to-end solutions for inhaled and nasal medicines, primarily targeting the lungs, as we’ve been discussing. Does that mean you control the entire process, from molecule synthesis all the way to the final inhaler device? EC: Yes, exactly. And the journey has been very gradual and organic, so to speak. If I can make a chemistry joke, “organic” fits quite well. But let’s continue. Hovione started with molecule synthesis, which is part of our history. From there, we specialized in controlling what we call particle size, or particle engineering, because these medicines need to be carefully engineered to be delivered effectively to the lungs. We handle synthesis, though we don’t work in drug discovery itself. We’re not discovering new molecules; rather, we support pharmaceutical companies with synthesis and, in this case, particle engineering, which is critical for inhaled medicines. Next comes combining the active pharmaceutical ingredient with additional components to create a medicine, which is also far from simple. Finally, there’s the inhaler, the medical device people actually see. It’s the engine that generates the aerosol. In the traditional asthma inhaler, which is the best-known example, aerosol generation is active. A pressurized gas propels the medication. In the types of devices we specialize in, known as passive devices, dry powder aerosols are generated using the patient’s own inhalation effort. NF: The patient inhales the powder. EC: Exactly. It’s still a challenge because there needs to be a perfect combination of particle properties, formulation, and device design to create the aerosol and achieve effective deposition in the lungs. We have control over all those aspects. NF: The lung seems like a particularly challenging organ for drug delivery. What makes it so difficult to ensure the medicine reaches exactly where it’s supposed to go? EC: Right. NF: Do you put a GPS on it? EC: Not exactly. That would be nice. The reality is that the lung has evolved over millions of years to prevent the entry of any foreign particle, whether it’s a pathogen, a virus, or anything else. NF: That’s its natural behavior. EC: Exactly, and fortunately for us. The lung is very effective at preventing exposure. It’s often said that if the entire surface of the lungs were spread out, it would be about the size of a tennis court. It’s an enormous surface area. Without defense mechanisms, we would constantly be exposed to harmful particles. Evolution designed the lungs to keep everything out. When we try to use the lungs as a route of administration to treat patients, we have to find ways to navigate around those defense mechanisms. NF: Or trick the lungs. EC: Yes, you could say that. We have to persuade them. The key lies in a magic number: aerosol particle size. Whether it’s a dry powder cloud or a liquid aerosol, the particles need to be between one and five microns in size. We’re talking about particles at least ten times smaller than a human hair. These are extremely fine powders. Very small particles tend to clump together, absorb moisture, and behave unpredictably. First, you have to reduce particle size, then control those behaviors, and finally use a relatively simple device. NF: Of course. EC: A device capable of generating that aerosol. NF: And one that anyone can use. EC: Exactly. NF: I believe Japan crossed paths with Hovione’s story again through the success of Inavir. What is this product, and what impact did it have? EC: Inavir is a story that goes back several years and is very illustrative of Hovione’s role in this specialized pharmaceutical niche. It’s an area that requires a broad set of competencies. For context, Inavir is an antiviral medication used to treat influenza. It’s administered directly to the lungs, which are the entry point for the virus. Hovione was involved in developing both the formulation inside the device and the device itself. The inhaler remains, to this day, the world’s only single-use inhaler. It’s extremely simple because patients using it have the flu. Reusing an inhaler in that situation makes little sense. The goal is to use it once and then discard it. The challenge was developing an inhaler that was cost-effective and sustainable while being designed for a single administration. NF: Use it once and throw it away. EC: Exactly. Since its approval in 2010, it has remained the world’s only single-use inhaler. We can say that millions of people have been treated with a technology developed in Portugal. NF: That’s also a source of national pride. EC: Absolutely. NF: In recent years, the nasal route has generated tremendous scientific interest, particularly because of its potential to reach certain areas of the body, including the brain and central nervous system, more quickly. What makes this route so special? It seems to have no toll booths. EC: Well, there are a few. We still need to bypass the body’s defense mechanisms. The nasal route is fascinating because we often associate anything administered through the nose with allergic rhinitis, pollen allergies, or sinus infections. NF: And allergies in general. EC: Exactly. Conditions that are very localized. But in reality, the nasal cavity offers extremely rapid absorption. Researchers began exploring it as a gateway for treating conditions not necessarily linked to nasal symptoms. Initially, this included areas such as pain management, particularly migraines. More recently, it has also been explored as a potential route to the brain itself. Why? Because our sense of smell originates in the nasal cavity, which contains a network of nerves. NF: Although what allows us to smell is actually in the brain. EC: Exactly. This is one of the few non-invasive routes that provides a relatively direct pathway from the nose to the brain through the olfactory and trigeminal nerves. It opens the door to much more patient-friendly approaches for treating disease. NF: Looking toward the future of healthcare, could nasal delivery eventually replace injections for many therapies? Might we someday say goodbye to needles? EC: Unfortunately, I don’t think so. So many innovative therapies are being developed, and needles and injections remain the most reliable way to ensure delivery, especially for advanced biologic therapies, where administration efficiency must be close to 100%. Everything that is prepared must reach the patient. We’re still far from guaranteeing that level of efficiency through the nose or the lungs. Not yet. NF: Not yet, but there are already significant advantages in certain situations. To bring all these innovations to market, research can’t happen in isolation. Does your team work with scientific and academic partners who accelerate these discoveries? EC: Absolutely. First and foremost, our partnerships with Portuguese universities have been an essential source of talent and knowledge for the advances we’ve made over the years, particularly in respiratory drug delivery. The Faculties of Pharmacy in Lisbon and Coimbra, NOVA University, and Instituto Superior Técnico have all been key partners. Not only academic institutions, but also industry partners. Given the complexity of what we do, multiple disciplines need to come together, from mechanical engineering and physiology to biology. No one achieves major breakthroughs alone. We also collaborate with companies such as Precisepart in Germany in the area of inhaler devices. These partnerships have been absolutely fundamental to our success. NF: Eunice Costa, scientist at Hovione, thank you for helping us understand how science is transforming lung health and how the nasal route is becoming a gateway for medicines that could improve the lives of millions of people. This was the fifth episode of The Next Discovery. Next week, we’ll reach the final chapter of this season and explore what almost sounds like science fiction becoming reality. We’ll discover high-dose biologic medicines and learn how cancer treatments may move from hospitals into our homes. All episodes are available at observador.pt and on major podcast platforms. Until the next discovery.

Article
Observador Lab, 16 July 2026

Podcast “The Next Discovery” (EP5) - Lung and Nasal Delivery: Science That Breathes

Jul 16, 2026

The podcast "The Next Discovery" is a six-episode series created by Observador, a leading Portuguese digital newspaper and radio station, in partnership with Hovione. From factory to pharmacy in far less time: how continuous tablet manufacturing is making treatments faster, more robust, and more accessible to those who need them most. What if some of the scientific breakthroughs that could improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? Welcome to The Next Discovery. Listen to the fourth episode of the podcast here, featuring João Ventura, Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Product Development at Hovione. [English transcription] Nelson Ferreira (NF): Welcome to The Next Discovery. This is a partnership between Rádio Observador and Hovione—a six-episode series in which we open the doors to global pharmaceutical development driven from Portugal. I’m Nelson Ferreira, and today we’ll explore a technology that is transforming the way medicines are produced and accelerating patient access to new treatments. To guide us on this journey, we’re joined by João Ventura, Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Product Development at Hovione. NF: Hello, João, and welcome. For decades, the industry relied on what is known as batch manufacturing. How did this traditional method work, and why does continuous manufacturing represent such a significant change for the pharmaceutical industry? João Ventura (JV): Thank you, Nelson, for the invitation and for that question, which is a great place to start discussing this innovation. As you mentioned, for many decades the pharmaceutical industry produced tablet medicines using the traditional batch manufacturing method. This approach involves producing a very specific quantity of product—a batch—at a time and performing each individual production step separately. This means that each subsequent step typically begins only after the entire batch from the previous stage has been manufactured, processed, collected, and sampled for quality verification. In tablet production, the process includes weighing, blending, granulation, tablet compression, and finally tablet coating. While this method is well understood, mature, and fully established from both an industrial and regulatory standpoint, it can become inefficient because material may spend a considerable amount of time sitting idle between production stages—waiting for quality checks or for equipment in the next step to become available. By contrast, continuous tablet manufacturing allows material to move continuously and automatically through all stages of the process while simultaneously monitoring the quality of the tablets being produced. This enables continuous manufacturing to deliver benefits that traditional batch manufacturing simply cannot achieve. NF: João, producing continuously certainly sounds more logical, but as I understand it, this is still a relatively new technology in the pharmaceutical industry. When did the market begin to embrace this change? JV: You're absolutely right, Nelson. As you know, the pharmaceutical industry is necessarily conservative and adopts innovation very carefully, for good reason. It was only in the early 2000s that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began encouraging the industry to develop alternative technologies that were both more agile and more robust from a quality perspective. These technologies are based on integrating and automating the entire tablet manufacturing process in a continuous flow. This required the development of a new generation of manufacturing equipment capable of performing the entire process automatically and continuously, as well as sophisticated electronics and software to monitor and inspect product quality throughout intermediate stages and in the final tablet. Following these early technological developments, the FDA approved the first continuously manufactured products from major pharmaceutical companies such as Vertex and Janssen during the 2010s. This marked a pivotal turning point and significantly accelerated adoption of continuous tablet manufacturing. NF: What practical challenges does this new system solve in day-to-day operations? I imagine there are important quality-control advantages as well, especially since you mentioned quality can be assessed throughout the process and in the final tablet. JV: Absolutely. The successful commercialization of that first wave of continuously manufactured medicines by companies such as Vertex and Janssen was extremely important because it demonstrated to the industry that this technology could deliver substantial benefits for both patients and manufacturers. First, it shortens development and production timelines for new medicines, allowing innovative therapies and new drug products to reach patients much faster than before. NF: So they can reach the market sooner as well. JV: Exactly. In addition, as you mentioned, this technology makes it possible to verify the quality of every tablet produced, rather than relying on a small sample as in batch manufacturing. That alone provides greater quality assurance and robustness, ultimately benefiting society as a whole. NF: And does that speed advantage become particularly important during medical or public health emergencies? Can this system respond more quickly to urgent demand? JV: Yes, that is one of the technology’s most significant potential advantages. In a continuous process, it’s possible to produce in minutes what might take weeks in traditional batch manufacturing due to processing delays and waiting times. Beyond the economic benefits, this offers a major advantage in medical or public health emergencies, where production of new medicines may need to be rapidly scaled up to meet urgent demand. NF: Was COVID-19 an example of that? JV: It’s a perfect example. NF: Has this technology already delivered that benefit? JV: Not yet, but we anticipate that in future pandemic situations, continuous manufacturing will play a critical role in scaling industrial production much more rapidly, much as we saw with the need to rapidly expand vaccine production. NF: Hovione positioned itself as a global pioneer in this technology, largely through a strategic partnership with Vertex that you mentioned earlier. This happened in 2016. How did a Portuguese company become the first of its kind to adopt such an important industrial-scale advancement in the United States? JV: Since its founding, Hovione’s history has been closely linked to the adoption and application of new pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies capable of delivering significant industrial and economic advantages. That has been one of the company’s keys to success. During the 2010s, Hovione recognized the potential and benefits of continuous tablet manufacturing early on. As you mentioned, in 2016, Hovione entered into a strategic partnership with Vertex to establish industrial-scale continuous tablet manufacturing capabilities in the United States. Hovione was likely the first company of its kind to adopt this technology. This was important not only for industry-wide adoption but also because, in partnership with Vertex, it played a key role in developing a new, more effective treatment for cystic fibrosis—a devastating, currently incurable disease that primarily affects children. NF: Earlier, you mentioned that this represented a significant industrial challenge. I imagine it required designing and installing far more sophisticated equipment to make it all work. JV: That's correct, Nelson. The challenges were enormous during the first industrial-scale implementation of continuous tablet manufacturing. Hovione’s team led the project from the initial facility and equipment design stages all the way through construction of the building, installation of the new equipment, and operational execution of the manufacturing process for this new Vertex medicine, which has played an important role in treating a serious and incurable disease. NF: After that first facility in the United States, this technology was also brought to Portugal, to Loures, where Hovione has operated a second production line for several years. Does this, in a way, complete the cycle for Hovione, allowing the company to work from molecule to finished tablet? JV: Exactly. Following the success of the first industrial installation and the experience gained, and driven by growing market demand and interest in the technology, Hovione expanded its manufacturing capacity in the early 2020s by building and commissioning a second continuous tablet manufacturing facility at its Loures site in Portugal. As you noted, the Loures facility is capable of performing the entire development cycle—from chemical production of the innovative molecule through formulation and manufacture of the final tablet. NF: João, we’re speaking at a time when global soccer competitions often inspire national pride. I imagine there’s also a sense of pride when patients anywhere in the world take an innovative medicine knowing that the engineering and technology behind it involved Portuguese teams. JV: Absolutely, Nelson. By combining our ability in Portugal to identify and adopt innovative technologies with investments in advanced manufacturing capabilities, we can position ourselves as trusted partners to our customers across our industries. That has certainly been the case with Hovione. As you mentioned, we have helped produce innovative medicines that improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world. That should be a source of pride for all of us here in Portugal, just as our national soccer team is. NF: João, thank you very much for explaining how this technology is challenging traditional manufacturing and accelerating the production of life-saving medicines. João Ventura is Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Product Development at Hovione. That concludes the fourth episode of The Next Discovery. In the coming weeks, we’ll explore a new topic: how the respiratory and nasal systems can be used to deliver medicines more effectively to the lungs and, in some cases, even serve as a direct highway to the brain. Don’t miss the upcoming episodes at observador.pt and on your favorite podcast platforms. Until the next discovery.

Article
Observador Lab, 9 July 2026

Podcast “The Next Discovery” (EP4) - Continuous Tablets, Lives in Motion

Jul 09, 2026

The podcast "The Next Discovery" is a six-episode series created by Observador, a leading Portuguese digital newspaper and radio station, in partnership with Hovione. From particle engineering to global leadership in spray drying, discover the technology that enables oral medicines to be effectively absorbed by the body and help treat millions of people. What if some of the scientific breakthroughs that could improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? Welcome to "The Next Discovery. Listen to the third episode of the podcast here, featuring Filipe Gaspar, VP Technology Intensification, and José Luís Santos, Strategic Business Management Senior Director, at Hovione. [English transcription] Nelson Ferreira (NF): Welcome to The Next Discovery. This is a partnership between Rádio Observador and Hovione, a six-episode series in which we show how science developed in Portugal has a real impact around the world. I’m Nelson Ferreira, and in the last episode we explored how APIs—the active pharmaceutical ingredients in medicines—are produced. Today, we move to the next stage: how do we transform that chemical powder into a medicine that our bodies can actually absorb? To help explain this science, I’m joined by Filipe Gaspar and José Luís Santos, who were involved in the creation and development of Hovione’s particle engineering division. Welcome to you both. Filipe, let me start with you. NF: When we hear about a new medicine, we usually think about the molecule that was discovered. But why isn’t that discovery alone enough? What exactly is particle engineering, and what role does it play in turning a promising molecule into a medicine that is truly effective? Filipe Gaspar (FG): Nelson, the active ingredients in many modern medicines are not effective in the form in which they are produced through chemical or biological processes. To work properly in the body, they need to undergo additional transformations. For example, some medicines must be protected from the acidity of the stomach so they can later be released in the intestine, where the environment is less acidic and absorption into the bloodstream can occur. Others require very specific particle sizes. This is the case with inhalation powders, often used to treat asthma or chronic bronchitis. If the particles are too large, they become trapped in the upper airways and never reach the alveoli, where they need to be absorbed. On the other hand, if they are too small, they may simply be exhaled before absorption occurs. Finding the right particle size is therefore essential to ensuring an effective treatment. Another remarkable example is modern oral medicines, which often need to be converted into a different form—the amorphous form—so that the body can absorb them properly. Particle engineering makes all of this possible, overcoming many of these limitations by improving drug absorption, distribution, and therapeutic effectiveness. NF: I believe that in 2003 Hovione made a bold decision and invested in spray drying technology. José, for our listeners, could you explain in simple terms what this technology is, what problem it solves, and why it was so revolutionary at the time? José Luís Santos (JLS): First, it’s worth noting that spray drying has been used for decades in other industries. Think, for example, about powdered milk, instant coffee, or the powdered detergent we use in our washing machines. In all these cases, we start with a liquid—milk, coffee, or a soap-based paste—and transform it into a very fine powder that dissolves almost instantly when mixed with water. This transformation is achieved through spray drying. To explain it simply, imagine a very large chamber, something like a giant hair dryer. Inside, the liquid we want to dry is converted into a spray—a kind of mist—creating extremely small droplets. These microscopic droplets are then dried very rapidly using hot gas inside that giant dryer. In just milliseconds, the liquid evaporates, leaving behind a powder made of tiny particles with properties that, as Filipe mentioned, make them highly soluble. The powders we produce in the pharmaceutical industry are physically similar to powdered milk, instant coffee, or powdered detergent. Now, why was this technology revolutionary for pharmaceuticals? Just as spray drying made it possible to preserve milk for months without refrigeration or gave us coffee that can be prepared in seconds, pharmaceutical spray drying made it possible to create medicines with improved therapeutic effectiveness because they became more soluble. Without access to spray drying technology, many of these medicines would simply not have had a viable path to reach the market and ultimately patients. NF: Filipe, we now have a better understanding of what happens in the factory, but I’m curious about what happens inside a patient’s body. Can you give us some concrete examples? What happens when a molecule looks promising in the laboratory, but the body cannot absorb it effectively? FG: Of course. As surprising as it may sound, most medicines taken orally—tablets and capsules—are actually less soluble in water than glass or marble. Since our gastric and intestinal fluids consist primarily of water, these medicines, in their original crystalline form, dissolve very poorly and can pass through the digestive system without being absorbed into the bloodstream. That would make them completely ineffective. Spray drying solves this problem by transforming them into an amorphous form that dissolves much more easily and can be absorbed by the body. A simple analogy would be to compare an ice cube with snow. Both are solid water, but snow melts much faster because of its structure. Spray drying applies a similar principle to medicines, significantly enhancing their ability to dissolve and be absorbed. NF: José Luís, some of this may sound very technical to our listeners, but the outcome is ultimately that people live longer and healthier lives because of these technologies. Are there concrete examples of medicines that only reached the market and patients because of this technology? JLS: Absolutely. One of the most significant examples involving Hovione was the COVID-19 treatment effort. Hovione participated in the production of Captisol, a compound that was essential in the manufacture of Remdesivir, Gilead’s antiviral medicine, which became one of the few treatments authorized for COVID-19. Another important example is the treatment of hepatitis C. Around 10 to 12 years ago, the disease was virtually eradicated in many parts of the world thanks to new medicines whose manufacturing processes relied on spray drying technology. This enabled those therapies to achieve the solubility and therapeutic effect required. These are just two examples. At Hovione—and across the industry—we are working with a growing number of medicines, including treatments for oncology, cystic fibrosis, and many other diseases that benefit from spray drying technology and the advantages it offers. NF: From what I understand, this technology will continue to play an important role in future discoveries as well. Filipe, when Hovione invested in spray drying, it was a technology that was almost inaccessible and rarely used in the pharmaceutical industry. What did Hovione see that others didn’t? And how did what seemed like a risky bet eventually position the company as a global leader in this field? FG: When we invested in the technology in 2003, we had already identified one or two opportunities. As you said, it was a technology that was practically nonexistent among companies like Hovione that provide services to the pharmaceutical industry. We decided to invest before there was established market demand, which meant taking a significant risk. We were talking about many millions of euros—the cost of an industrial-scale spray dryer. Afterward, we actively developed the market. The demand we saw, particularly the need to improve the bioavailability of oral medicines, confirmed our highest expectations. We have made—and continue to make—ongoing investments in science, technology, and industrial capacity. Over the years, these investments have consolidated Hovione’s position as a global reference in spray drying. Now, we must continue innovating to maintain that position. NF: Based on the examples we’ve been hearing, that doesn’t seem likely to be a problem for Hovione. We also know that innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. Spray drying appears to be another example of that. Hovione seems to have strong ties with academia and universities through master’s and doctoral programs conducted in industrial settings. Is this collaboration the secret to staying at the forefront? JLS: Yes. Our connection with academia has always been very important and continues to be so. Today, we have more than 300 people working in research and development roles, and we maintain strong ties with the academic community. Hovione is one of the largest private employers of PhDs in Portugal, with approximately 120 PhDs on staff, and we actively promote projects in partnership with universities and research centers. FG: I would also like to mention the Hovione Research Program. NF: What is that? FG: It is Hovione’s research program. It is a collaborative initiative with Portuguese academic institutions and has been active for more than 15 years. To give you an idea, at any given time we typically have around 10 PhD candidates and between 20 and 30 master’s students conducting their work in an industrial environment simultaneously. Most of these researchers end up joining Hovione after completing their studies, integrating into the same areas in which they carried out their research. They are a reflection of this collaboration with academia, which has been a key driver not only of our ability to innovate but also of our capacity to attract and retain highly qualified talent. NF: Filipe Gaspar and José Luís Santos, thank you both for showing us that behind every medicine there is an enormous amount of science, innovation, and talent. And often it is invisible technologies—such as the spray drying technology we discussed in greater detail today—that make a difference in the lives of millions of people. This concludes the third episode of The Next Discovery. Next week, we take the next step and discover how Hovione challenged industry tradition by introducing continuous tablet manufacturing. You can listen to the next episodes on observador.pt and on your usual podcast platform. See you at the next discovery.    

Article
Observador Lab, 2 julho 2026

Podcast “The Next Discovery” (EP3) - Particles that change lives

Jul 02, 2026

The podcast "The Next Discovery" is a six-episode series created by Observador, a leading Portuguese digital newspaper and radio station, in partnership with Hovione. From hard-to-produce antibiotics to innovative therapies, Hovione uses complex and sustainable chemistry to bring safe medicines to patients around the world. What if some of the scientific discoveries that could improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? “The Next Discovery.” Listen to the second episode of the podcast here, featuring Rui Loureiro, scientist at Hovione. [English transcription] From hard-to-produce antibiotics to innovative therapies, Hovione uses complex and sustainable chemistry to bring safe medicines to patients around the world. What if some of the scientific discoveries that could improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? “The Next Discovery.” Nelson Ferreira (NF): Welcome to the podcast “The Next Discovery.” This is a partnership between Rádio Observador and Hovione—a six-episode series where we open the doors of a Portuguese-founded multinational pharmaceutical company to share real stories of science, innovation, and global impact. I am Nelson Ferreira, and in the first episode we explored the story of the basement where it all began more than 65 years ago. Today, we will understand what happens inside this company. We will talk about complex chemistry, because that is where the journey of many medicines that pass through Hovione begins. We will discover how laboratory science becomes industrial processes, how sustainability is part of this transformation, and how all of this contributes to producing medicines that truly help improve and save lives. To guide us on this journey, I am joined today by Rui Loureiro, a scientist at Hovione’s Research and Development Center. Hello, Rui. Welcome to Rádio Observador. NF: Rui, most people may never have heard of Hovione, but they may be taking a medicine where Hovione played an important role. Where exactly do you fit into this long journey that takes a medicine to the patient? Rui Loureiro (RL): Hello, Nelson, good morning—and thank you for the question. The path for a medicine to reach a patient is long. It starts with producing a very small amount of a drug, which through development eventually needs to be produced in kilograms. Let me give an example. Imagine baking cookies. When you buy cookies at the supermarket, someone first made the initial batch at home—but then they needed a partner to scale those cookies to an industrial level. NF: A factory, exactly. RL: Exactly. That is where Hovione comes in. We are that partner for the pharmaceutical industry—helping turn one cookie into many cookies that eventually reach patients. NF: For those listening who are not familiar with this field, people often talk about APIs in the pharmaceutical industry. I had to look it up myself. What is it, and why has Hovione focused so much on it since early on? RL: API can mean different things depending on the field—for example, in IT it means something entirely different. In the pharmaceutical industry, API stands for Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. In Portuguese, princípio ativo—the component that treats or cures the disease. Using the cookie analogy again: a chocolate cookie has many ingredients—but the chocolate is what defines it. The API is exactly that in a medicine: a small but essential part that delivers the therapeutic effect. Even though tablets contain multiple substances, producing something like a 10 mg tablet of the active ingredient alone is difficult—so other components are added to create the final form. NF: Over many years, Hovione also specialized in complex generics. How did that experience help you move into working with companies developing entirely new medicines? RL: That was a very important step. Developing complex generics means the chemistry required is challenging—it may involve very low temperatures or tightly controlled conditions to ensure we produce the desired result and not something unwanted. Those early capabilities—developing antibiotics and other materials—led the market to recognize Hovione’s expertise. Ultimately, chemistry involves combining building blocks. If someone proves they can assemble the most complex ones, the industry will take notice. That is how we became recognized as a trusted partner for complex pharmaceuticals. NF: I am curious about this idea of “complex chemistry.” You often compare chemistry to cooking—what distinguishes traditional chemistry from the complex chemistry you do at Hovione? RL: Let me simplify for clarity. Complex chemistry depends on the reagents and solvents used. The starting materials may be difficult to transform and may require very specific conditions. The resulting product may also be unstable and require careful handling. Using cooking as an analogy: simple chemistry is like making jelly—you mix powder with hot water and let it set. Complex chemistry is more like making ice cream—it involves a more intricate process, and many people prefer to leave it to specialists. NF: Another fascinating challenge: in the lab, you work at milligram or gram scale, but factories must produce tons. How do you scale from a teaspoon to a truckload without ruining the recipe? RL: That is indeed our biggest daily challenge. Scaling up requires understanding every variable in the process. Going from a small kitchen setup to industrial production is not just about bigger equipment—it requires entirely different systems and expertise. We work with multidisciplinary teams—chemists, engineers, analytical specialists—to control every variable that affects product quality. In a typical GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) process, there are 4–5 main steps. And across those steps, we may need to control around 350 variables to ensure the final product meets quality standards for patients. NF: When people think of chemistry, they often think of something negative. But Hovione has been developing more sustainable approaches. What does sustainable chemistry mean in practice? RL: Sustainability is a daily priority. We design processes with sustainability in mind from the very beginning. We follow green chemistry principles—avoiding harmful reagents whenever possible. And when that is not possible, we apply the “four Rs”: reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover. For example, just as the paint industry moved from solvent-based to water-based systems, we are also moving toward chemistry in water. This reduces the carbon footprint of our processes. We are also exploring micellar chemistry, flow chemistry, and even reactions without solvents at all—similar to grinding ingredients together with a mortar and pestle. These approaches help reduce waste and improve efficiency. NF: Looking to the future—will chemistry remain our best tool to save lives, and in a more sustainable way? RL: Absolutely. That is what motivates me every day. Artificial intelligence is already helping identify targets and design molecules—but those molecules still need to be produced. That is where chemistry remains essential. It is the foundation for creating and improving medicines. Innovation and sustainability will go hand in hand—and that is the path we are committed to. NF: Rui Loureiro, thank you for helping simplify chemistry and for showing this more sustainable side of science. This was the second episode of “The Next Discovery.” In the coming weeks, we will continue exploring this world. In the next episode, we will look at the future of particle engineering.   You can listen to the next episodes on observador.pt and on your usual podcast platform. See you at the next discovery.      

Article
Observador Lab, 25 june 2026

Podcast “The Next Discovery” (EP2) - Complex chemistry, real impact

Jun 25, 2026

The podcast "The Next Discovery" is a six-episode series created by Observador, a leading Portuguese digital newspaper and radio station, in partnership with Hovione. And what if some of the scientific discoveries that can improve the lives of millions of people were happening right now in Portugal? The Next Discovery. Listen to the first episode of the podcast here, featuring Diane Villax, co-founder of Hovione. [English transcription] Welcome to The Next Discovery. This is a series of conversations, created in partnership between Observador Lab and Hovione, an international pharmaceutical company of Portuguese origin, that will open the doors to its world and share real stories of science, innovation and global impact. Over six episodes, we will meet the people behind technologies that help develop and manufacture innovative medicines for the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies that improve the lives of more than 80 million patients every year. I am Nelson Ferreira and, in this first episode, we will discover how an unlikely story, which began in a basement in Lisbon, became a story of global leadership. To talk about this legacy, I have the honour of welcoming Diane Villax, co-founder and non-executive board member of Hovione, who at the age of 91 remains a living witness to this journey. Nelson Ferreira (NF): Welcome, Mrs Diane Villax. Let us begin our conversation in 1959. Hovione was born in an unlikely way, in a basement in Lisbon, founded by your husband, Ivan Villax, by you and by two other partners. How did you manage family life and, at the same time, the birth of a pharmaceutical company, all in the same space? I imagine that created some interesting logistical challenges. Diane Villax (DV): From the beginning, we decided that we would manufacture raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry, that is, the active ingredients of medicines. We had no money, so it had to start from our home, which was in a residential neighborhood in Lisbon. Right from the start, we divided the tasks. My husband, a brilliant Hungarian chemical engineer, would be the inventor, the producer and the salesman, while I would take care of all the administrative side: imports, exports, accounting and banks. I kept those responsibilities for at least 30 years. At the same time, we also thought about the values that would guide us over this long period: transparency, innovation, the pursuit of excellence and great consideration for everyone who would come to work with us over the years. NF: Very early on, your husband made it clear that Hovione would not compete on low price, but rather on quality and on solving complex problems. What was it like to apply this principle of rigour when resources were still scarce? Especially because, from day one, it always seems to me that your objective was global. The world would be your market. DV: From the beginning, we felt that Portugal, with a population of 10 million people, would not be a very significant market, and that the world would be ours. Perhaps we were a little naïve, because we were entering a global market that was already quite sophisticated. But the decision was made and we moved forward. We moved forward and were fortunate that Japan discovered us quite quickly. They came knocking on our door, because of course we did not have the means to knock on theirs. At that time, they did not manufacture; they only formulated, so they needed to buy raw materials. My husband had invention patents for independent processes and there were long discussions. They felt that our technology was good, our IP was very robust and our quality was excellent. This led to a cooperation that lasted 10 or 15 years and was very profitable for both sides, I believe. NF: In the 1980s and 1990s, Hovione took a more significant leap forward. What were the decisions, the technological bets or even the moments of greatest courage that allowed this small Portuguese company to become a leading multinational? DV: In 1982, after a successful inspection by the FDA, the regulatory authority in the United States of America, we entered the American market with our generic doxycycline antibiotic. The inventor’s patent had already expired and we had an independent manufacturing process. It was a huge, demanding and competitive market, but one that respects good service and quality. And it was indeed a major leap, because the market was so large that we had no real sense of what it would mean, and demand was much greater than what we were able to produce. I remember, it must have been the summer of 1983, many people probably had to postpone their holidays to the autumn or winter, because missing delivery deadlines was not an option. Later, in the 1990s, we entered a new business area: services. We realized that large American pharmaceutical companies, as well as small biotechs, were increasingly inclined to outsource the development work for new molecules. This is a very long period, which can take four, six or even 10 years — the development process for new molecules before they are approved by regulators and become commercial products. So we began to offer this development service, and it went very well. From there, we developed new technologies, such as spray drying, for poorly soluble molecules, because this could greatly increase their bioavailability. Today, this services area is our largest business segment. NF: Hovione today works with 19 of the world’s 20 largest pharmaceutical companies. How do you maintain the agile, pioneering spirit that was born in that basement, when today the company has 2,600 employees, more than 300 scientists, and has even become the largest private employer of PhDs in Portugal? DV: Agility has to be maintained. For example, during the pandemic, we suddenly received large, unexpected orders to manufacture a component of Remdesivir, which was the product authorized to help Covid patients. So agility has to be maintained, and we always maintain our quality. Today, with more than 60 years of history, clients come to us because they know they can count on our quality and on our responsibility to produce and deliver on time what they order. NF: There is another impressive figure here. Your products reach 80 million people every year and Hovione participates in up to 10% of the new medicines approved annually by the FDA in the United States. When you look at this impact, do you feel that the dream of 1959 has been fully achieved? DV: I think it has been far exceeded. When we founded Hovione, my husband, who was a scientist, simply wanted to have his own laboratory. But he never imagined that we would develop in such a way that, today, we are sought out by major international pharmaceutical companies, which frequently come to us. NF: This is a series about science, but it is also about people. And the rigour, ethics and long-term vision that Diane always brought to management are still present at Hovione. What message would you leave to the scientists who join Hovione today with the mission of finding the next discovery? From what I understand, Diane makes a point of welcoming them whenever they join the company. DV: Yes. Four times a year, twice in English and twice in Portuguese, I speak to the newcomers at Hovione, giving them a very brief account of our journey, our values, our objectives, our dreams, the challenges we faced and how we overcame them to get to where we are today. And I always recommend that anyone who joins this company must work with passion. They must work with passion and always remember that our work is to produce medicines for those who need them. We have the privilege of serving patients. We are a company that works for society. I think “In it for life”, which is our motto, has a lot to do with us, because we have been here for 67 years as a family company, and that is how we intend to continue for many good years to come. Above all, in the healthcare sector, there is a great advantage, because we can look at the long term. We do not have to think about stock market results every quarter, as public companies do. And, on the other hand, we are here precisely to give life to those who need it. “In it for life.” NF: At the age of 91, how does Diane herself maintain this passion and continue to make long-term plans? DV: Because I was a founder of this company. I see it progressing and developing successfully, so it is a joy for me. And I have a large family coming after me. I have six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, and I hope to leave the company to them so that they can continue it as I managed it. NF: That is truly inspiring. Mrs Diane Villax, thank you very much for sharing the memories and inspiration of this legacy, which remains very much alive. It was a privilege. This was the first chapter of The Next Discovery. In the coming weeks, we will continue to open the doors of Hovione to discover how Portuguese talent is leading the world, from complex chemistry to particle engineering, from respiratory therapies to next-generation biological medicines.   You can listen to the next episodes on observador.pt and on your usual podcast platform.    

Article
Observador Lab, 18 june 2026

Podcast “The Next Discovery” (EP1) - From a basement in Lisbon to global impact

Jun 18, 2026

Key Points The CDMO market is growing rapidly as precision medicine, complex formulations, highly potent APIs, and more advanced delivery systems create greater demand for specialized development and manufacturing partners. CDMOs are increasingly using AI, predictive modeling, integrated development workflows, and data-driven tools to accelerate formulation decisions, reduce material use, improve scale-up, and lower development risk. Across oral solids, injectables, biologics, inhaled therapies, lipid-based systems, and complex dosage forms, successful CDMO partnerships depend on early problem-solving, manufacturability planning, regulatory readiness, and scalable process design. The global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) market size was valued at $255 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow from $273.40 billion this year to almost $581 billion by 2034. 1 Growing focus on precision medicine, the ability to handle more complex formulations, and a recent interest in highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients is driving CDMO demand. To be more efficient, CMDOs are turning to AI and data-driven tools. These technologies play a more practical role in formulation development and manufacturing, particularly in analyzing historical datasets and informing experimental design. While AI isn’t replacing scientific expertise, it is helping teams review larger datasets faster and make more informed decisions. Many of the leading CDMOs highlight their capabilities and share real-world examples of how they solved clients’ formulation and manufacturing challenges in this exclusive Drug Development & Delivery annual report so that you can find the right provider for your own project. (...) Hovione: Seamless One-Site Stop Integration from ASD Development to Drug Product Manufacturing Hovione is a CDMO provider of Amorphous Solid Dispersions (ASDs) formulations manufactured by spray drying to address solubility and bioavailability challenges. This formulation strategy is integrated with downstream manufacturing of the final dosage form, such as tablets or capsules or nasal drug delivery. “Hovione’s spray drying expertise is unique thanks to our regulatory track record, a large GMP spray drying capacity, and our ability to offer seamless “one-site stop” integration from ASD development to drug product manufacturing, for both batch and continuous tableting,” says João Ventura, PhD, Senior Director, Strategic Business Management – Pharma, Hovione. ASDs by spray drying has become a leading formulation strategy. This demand has also triggered growth in integrated and specialized offerings from CDMOs that integrate ASD formulation manufacturing with downstream manufacturing services into final dosage forms. In formulation development, artificial intelligence (AI) tools enable faster, data-driven process and approaches with minimal experimental work and material consumption. Application examples include integrated formulation development and screening tools, such as Hovione’s ASD-HIPROS, capable of rapidly screening for the best combination of drug loads, excipients, and surfactants using advanced formulation models and high-throughput screening methods supported by AI tools. At Hovione, these tools are based on hybrid mathematical models that combine mechanistic understanding with machine learning methods, enabling scientists to predict drug-polymer behavior and optimize formulation composition in a fraction of the time, Dr. Ventura says. In manufacturing, AI tools are being used to support increased digitalization and automation of manufacturing processes, informing greater understanding and insights from data-rich manufacturing process execution that support continuous improvements. In continuous tableting, advanced control strategies (PAT and real-time quality control) are being deployed to enhance process robustness and scalability. “In early development stages, we use ASD-HIPROS, our data-driven high throughput screening tool, to rapidly characterize the challenge and select the most appropriate strategy, screening for the best combination of drug loads, excipients, and surfactants to create a robust, scalable spray drying process from the outset,” he explains. “We then apply Quality-by-Design principles and standardized tech transfer methodologies to ensure scalability and derisk the transition to GMP manufacturing.” (...) Read the full article at Drug-Dev.com    

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Drug Development & Delivery, 12 June 2026

Outsourcing Formulation Development & Manufacturing: Connecting Your Project to the Right Service Provider

Jun 12, 2026

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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News Medical Life Sciences, 1 June 2026

Hovione advances intranasal drug delivery with commercial-ready dry powder platform ahead of 4th Nasal Formulation & Delivery Summit

Jun 01, 2026

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. If you’d like to learn more about Hovione and the full session line-up at the 4th Nasal Formulation & Delivery Summit, download the event guide here. Read the full article at News-Medical.net          

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News Medical Life Sciences, 1 June 2026

Hovione advances intranasal drug delivery with commercial-ready dry powder platform ahead of 4th Nasal Formulation & Delivery Summit

Jun 01, 2026

Every year, the largest bank in Portugal, Caixa Geral de Depósitos recognizes some of Portugal’s brightest young minds through the Caixa +Mundo Awards, providing nearly €800,000 in scholarships to students as they pursue higher education. In this year´s edition, Caixa named the award bestowed upon students pursuing science for Diane Villax. This prestigious honor places Diane Villax among the award’s namesakes – a distinguished group of prominent personalities who have made notable contributions to Portugal´s socio-economic, cultural, political and scientific development over the last 50 years, such as António Ramalho Eanes, Mário Soares, José Saramago, Sophia de Mello Breyner, Leonor Beleza, Elvira Fortunato, Rui Nabeiro, Américo Amorim, and José Manuel de Mello. Diane Villax will also honor the seven scientific award winners by personally meeting with each of them, and following their journeys as future innovators and leaders. But this honor is about far more than one individual. It is a celebration of an entire organization and the people behind it. For 67 years, generations of dedicated teams have worked together with passion, purpose, and excellence to manufacture life-saving medicines and advance science that has a real impact on people. This recognition belongs to all of us.    

News

Prestigious Caixa +Mundo Award named in honor of Diane Villax

May 14, 2026

East Windsor, NJ, May 11, 2026 - Hovione today announced that Dr. Jean Luc Herbeaux has decided to step down from his role as Chief Executive Officer for personal reasons, effective as of May 21, 2026. To facilitate a smooth transition, Dr. Herbeaux will continue with the company until September 30, 2026. The Board of Hovione Holding AG expressed its gratitude for Dr. Herbeaux’s transformational leadership and significant achievements during his tenure. Under his leadership, the company strengthened its market position, expanded capabilities, and continued to grow as a trusted partner to customers and broader stakeholders. The Board has initiated a succession process to appoint the company´s new Chief Executive Officer. In the interim, and to ensure continuity of leadership and strategic execution, the Board has appointed António Almeida (currently Chief Financial Officer) and Dr. Marco Gil (currently Senior VP Sales & Marketing) as co-Chief Executive Officers, effective as of May 21, 2026. Both executives are long-standing members of Hovione´s Global Leadership Team and have played key roles in the company´s growth and operations over many years. They bring extensive knowledge of the business, strong operational expertise, and established relationships across the organization, customers, and partners. They have the full confidence and support of the Board and the shareholders to continue successfully executing the company’s strategy. “Hovione remains strongly positioned for the future, with a clear strategy, a strong leadership team, and a continued commitment to operational excellence and innovation,” said Dr. Stefan Doboczky, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Hovione. “We are confident in the company’s ability to continue delivering for customers, partners, and other stakeholders throughout this transition and beyond.” Hovione confirmed that its strategic direction, business priorities, and commitments remain unchanged. The company continues to focus on supporting its customers and partners with innovative solutions across advanced chemistry, particle design, and finished dosage, while maintaining the highest standards of quality, reliability, and collaboration.    

Press Release
Co-CEOs for the transition period, António Almeida and Dr. Marco Gil, bring combined 40 years of experience with Hovione to their new role

Hovione Announces Leadership Transition and Interim Co-CEO Structure

May 11, 2026

CDMO Hovione and Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC) have announced that their new single-use capsule-based nasal delivery device is now available exclusively as part of an integrated platform that includes Hovione’s intranasal drug development and manufacturing services. The companies partnered in 2023 with plans for development of two capsule-based devices for intranasal delivery: the single-use device and a multidose device. Read the full article at OINDPnews.com      

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OINDP - Orally inhaled and nasal drug products news, May 11, 2026

Hovione and IDC announce new single-use capsule-based intranasal delivery device for dry powder formulations

May 11, 2026

Single-use nasal dry powder device enables access to a fully integrated Intranasal Drug Delivery Platform, from API to device.  Integrated approach simplifies development, reduces risk, and supports scalable manufacturing. Hovione to present the platform at Respiratory Drug Delivery 2026.   Lisbon, Portugal, May 7, 2026 – Hovione, a global integrated specialist CDMO, and Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd (IDC), an international product development company, today announced that their Intranasal Drug Delivery Platform has reached a new milestone, with its lead single-use nasal dry powder device now available for commercial partnerships.  Hovione and IDC have completed the device design and established initial device manufacturing and supply capability, enabling pharmaceutical partners to leverage existing capsule filling infrastructure. This approach simplifies development, reduces cost and risk, and helps shorten timelines to the clinic and commercialization.  This milestone marks the transition from development to now having the platform available for commercial partnerships, enabling pharmaceutical partners to accelerate intranasal programs through a fully integrated solution — from API development and advanced particle engineering to drug product manufacturing and device supply. The single-use nasal dry powder device is protected by a dedicated intellectual property portfolio covering the device's platform technology, which has successfully achieved initial patent grants. In parallel, Hovione and IDC are advancing a multi-dose variant to further expand the platform’s applicability across therapies and dosing regimens.  “This milestone marks an important step in the evolution of our collaboration with IDC — from device innovation to a fully integrated intranasal drug delivery platform,” said Márcio Temtem, Ph.D., Vice President, Strategic Business Management, Hovione. “As the industry looks for faster, more reliable ways to bring complex therapies to patients, integration becomes critical. By bringing together nasal particle engineering science, formulation manufacturing and filling, and device technologies into a single offering, we enable a more seamless and predictable development journey, accelerating the path to market for intranasal therapies.”  The nasal delivery device enables broad and targeted nasal deposition flexibility while delivering maximum usability and reliability. With a patented design and manufacturing process established, the platform is available for partnering with pharmaceutical companies on an exclusive basis as part of Hovione’s integrated offering for inhalation and nasal drug development and manufacturing.  IDC’s Managing Director, Stephen Knowles Ph.D., added, “Our partnership with Hovione has already delivered a successful single-use device suitable for a range of therapies and our joint team can support pharma customers to use the device to bring new nasal therapies to market. Additionally, we are now well-advanced with the development of a multi-use device to support an even wider range of therapies and patient needs.” Beyond the device, the collaboration brings together complementary capabilities to deliver a fully integrated intranasal solution spanning API development and advanced particle engineering to formulation, capsule filling, drug product manufacturing, and device design and supply. This integrated approach reduces the need for technology transfers, streamlines development, and provides a single platform for pharmaceutical partners.    Respiratory Drug Delivery 2026 Hovione will present additional insights on its Intranasal Drug Delivery Platform at the Respiratory Drug Delivery 2026 conference, as part of a company-sponsored workshop on integrated nasal powder development. The workshop will provide an end to end perspective on the development of next generation of nasal powder products, covering advanced formulation and particle engineering strategies for addressing key challenges in nasal delivery such as deposition, absorption efficiency and formulation retention. Complementary in-vitro and analytical tools will also be discussed as critical enablers for guiding development and supporting regulatory readiness.  The workshop will be held on May 12, 2026, at the Westin Kierland in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.     About the Device The single-use nasal dry powder device incorporates a proprietary, patented mechanism designed for ease of use and manufacturability. Pre-loaded with a drug capsule, it enables pharmaceutical partners to leverage existing capsule filling infrastructure, reducing complexity, cost, and accelerating development timelines. The platform supports targeted delivery across the nasal cavity, including the upper olfactory region, enabling rapid systemic absorption and potential nose-to-brain delivery pathways.       

Press Release
Its lead single-use nasal dry powder device now available for commercial partnerships

Hovione and IDC Intranasal Drug Delivery Platform Available for Commercial Partnerships

May 07, 2026

Integrated approach simplifies development, reduces risk, and supports scalable manufacturing. Hovione and Industrial Design Consultancy Ltd.’s (IDC) lead single-use nasal dry powder device is now available for commercial partnerships. Hovione and IDC have completed the device design and established initial device manufacturing and supply capability, enabling pharmaceutical partners to leverage existing capsule filling infrastructure. This approach simplifies development, reduces cost and risk, and helps shorten timelines to the clinic and commercialization. “This milestone marks an important step in the evolution of our collaboration with IDC — from device innovation to a fully integrated intranasal drug delivery platform,” said Márcio Temtem, Ph.D., Vice President, Strategic Business Management, Hovione. “As the industry looks for faster, more reliable ways to bring complex therapies to patients, integration becomes critical. By bringing together nasal particle engineering science, formulation manufacturing and filling, and device technologies into a single offering, we enable a more seamless and predictable development journey, accelerating the path to market for intranasal therapies.” The nasal delivery device enables broad and targeted nasal deposition flexibility while delivering maximum usability and reliability. With a patented design and manufacturing process established, the platform is available for partnering with pharmaceutical companies on an exclusive basis as part of Hovione’s integrated offering for inhalation and nasal drug development and manufacturing. Additionally, IDC’s Managing Director, Stephen Knowles Ph.D., said the companies are now “well-advanced” with the development of a multi-use device to support an even wider range of therapies and patient needs. Read the full article at ContractPharma.com    

Press Clipping
Contract Pharma, 7 May 2026

Hovione, IDC Launch Intranasal Drug Delivery Platform

May 07, 2026

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