Hovione says New Jersey site expansion will create 60 jobs
The Portuguese active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturer announced its intention to expand the facility in October, explaining that the idea was to add spray drying capacity for potent drug actives.
Hovione has started work on the expansion according to spokeswoman Isabel Pina, who told us "today was the groundbreaking of the expansion."
The investment – financial terms of which were not provided - will add an additional 30,600 ft² (2,843 m²) and complement capacity at a pilot plant at the site.
It will create 60 new jobs over the next three years according to Hovione.
The new spray drying technology is due to be operational in 2017.
Expansion
The East Windsor facility has been the focus of a number of investments in recent months.
In March, Hovione partnered with Vertex Pharma to set up a continuous manufacturing line at the facility which will be used to make the latter firm’s cystic fibrosis dugs Kalydeco (ivacaftor) and Orkambi (ivacaftor/ lumacaftor).
Hovione’s most recent investment in spray drying capacity was at its facility in Loures, Portugal.
At the time Filipe Gaspar, VP of R&D at Hovione told us “Spray drying is becoming the leading platform to overcome the poor solubility of most modern oral drugs."
