• Hovione has acquired ExtremoChem Lda, a start-up company with a portfolio of rare sugars, synthetic analogues of the natural molecules found in extremophiles.
• The acquisition provides Hovione with new high-performance functional materials, which have shown potential in stabilizing biopharmaceuticals.

LISBON, Portugal, Nov. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hovione, the specialist integrated CDMO and the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, today announced it has acquired ExtremoChem Lda (ExtremoChem), an innovative start-up company focused on the synthesis, development, and commercialization of bio-inspired synthetic sugars, targeting enhanced stabilization, reduced viscosity and delivery performance of proteins and other biopharmaceuticals.

Scientist working in the lab at Hovione facilities

ExtremoChem developed a library of proprietary sugars, synthetic analogues of natural molecules found in extremophiles – organisms capable of withstanding the most uninhabitable environments. These sugars have shown potential in overcoming challenges associated with the stabilization of biopharmaceuticals during production, purification, formulation, and transportation.

Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione's CEO commented: "Proteins and other biopharmaceuticals account for a significant share of our customers ´pipelines. The acquisition of ExtremoChem's synthetic sugars combined with Hovione's particle engineering capabilities provides our customers with a unique set of tools to optimize formulations that address stability issues encountered during the life cycle of biopharmaceuticals."

Filipe Aguiar, ExtremoChem's Managing Director commented: "I am delighted that ExtremoChem has been acquired by Hovione. Hovione has a long history of developing and industrializing innovative technologies for the pharma industry. This acquisition will help ensure that the science we developed at ExtremoChem will have a wider and faster market adoption."

The announcement of this acquisition demonstrates Hovione´s commitment to expand its technology platforms. The company is investing both in new assets and innovative technologies to meet customer demand for integrated and differentiated development and manufacturing services in drug substance, particle engineering and drug product.

About Hovione:

Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing operations. As a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) it has a fully integrated offering of services for drug substances, drug product intermediates and drug products. 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 solutions across the entire drug life cycle. In the inhalation area, Hovione offers a complete range of services, from API, formulation development and devices.

Hovione's culture is based on innovation, quality, and dependability. 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 ExtremoChem

ExtremoChem is a chemical synthesis start-up company focused on the development of organic synthetic sugars for the stabilization of biologicals under stress conditions. 

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

Will Frost | Global Communications Lead | [email protected] |Tel: +351 915 388 177