PR94632

LISBON, Portugal Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, announced today a

strategic partnership with Zerion Pharma to market and commercialize

Dispersome(R), Zerion´s proprietary solubility enhancement technology platform.

Zerion´s innovative Dispersome(R) technology builds on a new concept of

increasing drug solubility by using natural protein-based excipients to

formulate APIs into amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) by spray drying. By

combining Dispersome(R) technology with Hovione's unique spray drying

capabilities, experience in development, scale-up and GMP manufacturing,

Hovione further strengthens its leadership in amorphous solid dispersions and

shows its commitment to innovative solutions to overcome one of the most

prevalent challenges faced by the industry: low drug solubility.  

"We are extremely pleased to have entered into this partnership with Zerion

whom we recognize as a very innovative company in the field of oral drug

formulations. By joining forces, Zerion and Hovione will be able to bring

Dispersome(R) to the market faster. We look forward to applying the technology

in collaboration with our customers and partners in our effort to develop novel

drugs with strong benefits to patients.", comments Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione´s

Chief Operating Officer. "Hovione will continue to pursue opportunities to

enhance its offering around core areas of expertise such as particle

engineering and inhalation by partnering with companies and research

institutions developing innovative drug formulation technologies, like

Dispersome(R)".

Zerion´s CEO, Ole Wiborg, sees a strong synergy in the partnership and expects

it to generate new pharma partnerships. "We consider Hovione the global leader

in the field of producing amorphous solid dispersions by spray-drying. More

importantly for us, this leadership has resulted in Hovione being, over the

last 5 years, the main commercial manufacturer of novel FDA-approved drugs

formulated as amorphous solid dispersions. Incorporating these competencies in

our offering to the pharma industry both validates the strength of our

Dispersome(R) platform and provides us and our pharma partners immediate access

to the highest quality in upscaling and commercial GMP manufacturing." says Ole

Wiborg.

The announcement of this partnership follows Hovione's communication on a

further expansion with an expected investment of $170 million in assets

worldwide and shows the company's commitment to also expand its technology

platforms. Hovione is investing both in new assets and innovative technologies

to meet customer demand for integrated and differentiated services in drug

substance manufacturing, particle engineering and most recently drug product

manufacturing.

About Hovione

Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a

Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a fully

integrated offering of services for drug substance, drug product intermediate

and drug product. The company has four FDA inspected sites in the USA,

Portugal, Ireland and China and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal

and New Jersey, USA. Hovione provides pharmaceutical customers services for the

development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs, including highly

potent compounds, and customized product solution across the entire drug life

cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company offering

a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and devices.

Hovione is a company with a culture based on innovation, quality and delivery.

Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to become a Certified B

Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality

improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.

About Zerion Pharma ApS

Zerion has pioneered the Dispersome(R) technology that greatly enhances the

solubility of poorly soluble, oral drugs and improves bioavailability and

therapeutic outcomes for the patients. The Dispersome(R) technology is based on

preparing stable amorphous formulations by mixing high loads of the drug

compound with beta-lactoglobulin, a sustainable and biodegradable by-product

from cheese production. Zerion develops proprietary drug formulations and

offers the Dispersome(R) technology to established pharma companies as a means

to solve their most challenging drug solubility problems.

Zerion was established in 2019 as a spinout from the University of Copenhagen

based on almost a decade of research.

(Dispersome(R) is a trademark of Zerion Pharma A/S)

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1686008/Logo_Hovione_Logo.jpg

For more information, please visit www.hovione.com or contact:

Isabel Pina | Director External Communications | ipina@hovione.com |Tel.: +351

21 982 93 62