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Article / Oct 10, 2022

Hovione’s Continuous Manufacturing Facility, Loures, Portugal

Pharmaceutical Technology, 10 October 2022

Hovione has expanded its continuous tableting capacity with a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at its site in Loures, Portugal.

Portuguese pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing company Hovione has built a state-of-the-art continuous tableting manufacturing facility at its existing site in Loures, Portugal, to expand its continuous manufacturing offering and services.

The company invested $70m to develop the facility, which is part of its broader $170m investment programme to increase its production capacity by around 25% by 2023. The investment will enable Hovione to develop differentiated and empowering capabilities and assets to meet customers’ specific requirements for manufacturing oral dosage forms.

The new drug manufacturing facility came online in September 2022.

Details of the pharmaceutical facility expansion

Hovione Loures was expanded with a manufacturing building and eight-lab quality control facility. The company also upgraded its labs with the tools required to support the drug product lifecycle to ensure competency and capacity through research and development (R&D) to the production stage. In addition, it established an experienced, multi-disciplinary global team in continuous tableting to further improve its capabilities.

Hovione has designed a commercial continuous tableting platform that facilitates key control requirements and offers operational ease, mechanistic modelling, and appropriate process analytical technology to its customers. The features of its quality system include automated in-process controls, real-time release deployment, and compliant digital infrastructure. These are designed to support the release of continuous tableting products.

The company’s technology offers features and benefits such as faster development of simpler processes, rapid manufacturing of variable demand, strong control strategies and high process quality standards.

Details of Hovione’s existing site in Loures

Hovione’s existing manufacturing plant at Loures has been operational since 1969 and has been continuously upgraded by adding new facilities. The plant was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982 and is inspected regularly.

The manufacturing plant supports the development, piloting and full commercialisation of drug substances and product intermediates. It has an extensive capacity of 430m³ of vessels, ranging from 50lt to 14,000lt, along with a complete range of spray dryers with sizes ranging from lab-scale to industrial sizes.

The site also features highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) handling, cryogenic, hydrogenation, corticosteroid, and potent spray-drying capabilities. It is staffed by highly skilled and experienced process development and analytical development teams that assist with the drug substance and particle engineering disciplines.

The plant and the quality control labs operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Loures site has been certified by the Health, Safety and Environment Management System in compliance with OHSAS18001 and ISO14001. It is also a certified Authorised Economic Operator.

Marketing commentary on Hovione

Established in 1959, Hovione is an integrated contract development and manufacturing company (CDMO) with more than 60 years of experience. It offers services for drug substances, drug product intermediates and drug products.

The company currently operates four FDA-inspected facilities in the US, China, Ireland and Portugal, as well as development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal, and New Jersey, US.

The opening of Hovione’s first manufacturing plant in Loures, Portugal, in 1969 was followed by its second manufacturing site in Macau, China, in 1986. The company subsequently opened plants in New Jersey in 2001 and Cork, Ireland, in 2009.

Under the company’s $170m investment programme, Hovione is investing $50m in its manufacturing facility in East Windsor, New Jersey. This expansion will add two spray dryers to the facility and triple its capacity, as well as expand its capacity for research and small-scale API production. The company is investing a further $50m to add a spray dryer and upgrade its high-potency API production in Cork, Ireland, as part of the investment programme.

Read the full article at Pharmaceutical-Technology.com

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Three is the magic number for Hovione as it’s once again been certified as a top employer. For the third consecutive year, all four of its manufacturing sites - Lisbon, Cork, East Windsor in USA, and Macau - have been certified as Top Employers by the Top Employers Institute. Hovione is an international integrated pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisation. This certification follows, Hovione said, a rigorous audit process. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Chief Executive Officer, Hovione, explained: “This recognition reflects the exceptional dedication and collaboration of the entire Hovione team. Hovione is a development and manufacturing service company operating in one of the most demanding and regulated industries. We understand that our success is deeply rooted in our people. “Together, as One Hovione, we are committed to continuously refining our practices to foster a workplace that inspires motivation and enhances employee satisfaction, so that, every day, our team members bring their best selves to work, driving innovation and excellence at every step,” Jean-Luc added. Ilda Ventura, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Member of the Management Board, Hovione, said: “This distinction underscores our unwavering commitment to our people. At Hovione, we design our HR systems and processes to ensure that every team member enjoys a consistent and fulfilling experience, regardless of their role, function, or location.” Imelda Cummins, HR Director for Hovione Ireland, said: “This distinguished accreditation is a testament to our commitment to establish frameworks to attract, engage and retain top talent. We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and this recognition reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire team who strive every day to foster a culture of excellence, innovation, and collaboration. Receiving the Top Employer accreditation is motivation for us to keep pushing the boundaries of what it means to be an exceptional employer.” Hovione recently celebrated the opening of a multi-million euro expansion at its site in Ringaskiddy, which almost doubled the capacity of its spray drying facilities. Read the full article on CorkIndependent.com

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Cork Independent, 22 January 2025

Hovione gets top employer accolade

Jan 22, 2025

Hovione has once again solidified its position as a top employer in all four of its manufacturing sites - Lisbon (Portugal), Cork (Ireland), East Windsor (NJ, USA), and Macau. The program highlights the company’s significant advancements in several critical areas, including Purpose & Values, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Employer Branding, and Recognition & Rewards, driven by sustained investment in people. This certification from the Top Employers Institute follows a rigorous audit process and underscores Hovione’s consistency in investing in people and world-class workplace practices, as well as the unwavering commitment of its more than 2,300 employees to the company's core purpose and values. “This recognition reflects the exceptional dedication and collaboration of the entire Hovione team,” said Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Chief Executive Officer. “Hovione is a development and manufacturing service company operating in one of the most demanding and regulated industries. We understand that our success is deeply rooted in our people. Together, as One Hovione, we are committed to continuously refining our people practices to foster a workplace that inspires motivation and enhances employee satisfaction, so that, every day, our team members bring their best selves to work, driving innovation and excellence at every step.” Macau, which became the first company in the region to achieve Top Employer certification last year, has successfully renewed the status, solidifying Hovione’s global leadership in workplace excellence. With its consistent Top Employer recognition, Hovione demonstrates that the talent strategy is perfectly aligned with the business strategy. Watch Ilda Ventura, Senior Vice-President of Human Resources and Member of the Management Board of Hovione, video about what this certification means for Hovione. For additional information, please read the press release.

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The certification is granted to Hovione's four manufacturing sites for the third consecutive year.