Hovione expansion provides integrated full-service solution

Hovione's new R6d building in Lisbon.

Additional capacity expansion across several of the company's sites also strengthens the company's global market leadership in spray drying.

The capacity expansion program, which started in 2016, will continue during the next 5 years. The first 2 years saw Hovione relocate its development services to a new 7000 m2 centre in Lisbon, 15 minutes away from the Loures manufacturing site. The new Lisbon site is fully equipped to handle potent and highly potent compounds, and hosts 200 scientists specialising in chemistry, particle engineering, formulation and analytical development.

During this period, the Loures site expanded its drug substance reaction vessel capacity with a small-scale production area and a new pilot plant, totalling an extra 30 m3 of capacity. In addition, one pilot and two large-scale spray dryers were installed at the site and started the operation of a new drug product centre equipped with oral dosage form and inhalation manufacturing capabilities.

During the same time, Hovione doubled the size of its development and manufacturing operations in the New Jersey site, providing it with a full range of capabilities, from chemical and analytical development, through spray drying to formulation. The site now hosts 14 m3 of reaction vessel capacity with four independent trains, a pilot and a large scale spray dryer, and a continuous tableting unit.

At the Cork site, Hovione is reinstating and renewing a production building with 157 m3 of chemical synthesis capacity devoted to contract manufacturing. About half of this capacity will be ready for operation by May 2018.

During the next 3 years, Hovione will add to the Loures site a new chemical synthesis and spray dryer building for contract manufacturing, with a total area of 4,200 m2 for 165 m3 of reaction vessel capacity and two large spray drying units, new formulation facilities, which will enable the production of bigger batch sizes, and a new building that will host an additional 1200 m2 of analytical laboratories.

This investment is being paired with recruiting and training new staff, as illustrated by the company's 39% headcount growth in the last 2 years.

“This addition in capacity expansion will secure our growth and ensure that we continue to provide a truly integrated full-service solution to our customers, as well as showing Hovione’s strategy and commitment to further strengthen its global market leadership in spray drying,” said Frédéric Kahn, Vice-President Marketing & Sales.

“This capacity expansion plan is far more than a matter of production capacity solely. It aims to reorganize sites with new buildings, renew existing facilities and give operations the most advanced equipment in the market, to provide our customers and team members with the technology and the capacity they need to grow in a sustainable way. It is a significant effort and commitment from Hovione to stay ahead of and prepare for future demand.” said Nuno Almeida, Vice-President of Engineering.