Press Room

Event

DDL 2021

Start

Wednesday, December 08, 2021 - 00:00

End

Friday, December 10, 2021 - 00:00

Location: Online

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Hovione's Scientists On-Demand Presentations:

Hovione scientist at DDL Conference Nasal PAMPA intranasal drug permeability | Hovione

Nasal-PAMPA: a novel in vitro tool for prediction of intranasal drug permeability

Presenter: Patrícia Henriques, PhD Student, R&D DPD

Abstract:

In nasal drug product development, biorelevant in vitro methodologies are vital in order to select promising compounds or formulations, potentially reducing pre-clinical and clinical trials. Permeability assays are often applied to predict drug absorption and bioavailability. For nasal delivery products, permeation models include ex vivo models using excised nasal mucosa and in vitro cell culture models. However, ex vivo models present high variability and cell culture models are very time consuming. The Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assay (PAMPA) has emerged as a high throughput screening tool to evaluate drug permeability, and it has been applied to several barriers such as the intestine, skin or blood-brain-barrier. Herein, a new PAMPA model was developed and optimized to predict nasal permeability, using a biorelevant donor medium containing mucin. The apparent permeability (P_app) of 15 reference compounds was assessed in six different experimental conditions. The model with 0.5% (w/v) mucin in the donor compartment and 2% (w/v) phosphatidylcholine in the lipid membrane correctly distinguished high and low permeable compounds, with no false positives or negatives. In addition, it exhibited the highest correlation with permeation across human nasal epithelial RPMI 2650 cells (R² = 0.71). Overall, the optimized PAMPA model was reproducible, predictive and inexpensive, showing to be a promising non-cell based and biorelevant in vitro tool that could be applied in an early screening stages of new nasal drug delivery products.

Hovione scientist at DDL Conference DPI formulation screening: particle-particle interaction | Hovione

Hovione scientist Joao Pereira at DDL Conference DPI formulation screening: particle-particle interaction | Hovione

Leveraging DPI formulation screening: particle-particle interaction

Presenters:

Raquel Borda D’Água, Associate Analytical Scientist, R&D Analytical Development

João Pereira, Manager R&D Analytical Development

Abstract:

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) have attracted enormous attention worldwide due to its local targeting, rapid drug effect and reduced systemic toxicity. However, DPI formulations consist of highly cohesive powders that tend to agglomerate. Therefore, understanding the role of cohesive-adhesive forces in different formulations and establishing a predictive approach for aerodynamic particle size distribution (aPSD) is thus, highly beneficial. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between powder dispersibility with the aerodynamic performance of different DPI formulations. Sympatec was used to characterise powder dispersibility and inherent cohesion and adhesion forces at different pressures. Powder dispersibility obtained by Sympatec and aerodynamic properties from the NGI analysis were evaluated in order to deeper understand the characteristic behaviour of these formulations

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Inhalation high performance APIs particle engineering formulation DPIs pdf | Hovione

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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

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

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

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Contract Pharma, 7 May 2026

Hovione, IDC Launch Intranasal Drug Delivery Platform

May 07, 2026

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