Hovione announced plans to host and operate a commercial-scale continuous manufacturing facility as part of an agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The facility will be installed in Hovione's New Jersey location, and Hovione expects the project to be complete by the end of 2017 to support the future manufacturing of Vertex's approved medicines.

The new facility will include all facets of the continuous manufacturing process, including continuous blending, wet or dry granulation, fluid bed drying, tableting,and coating operations. Spare capacity will be offered to third parties who are interested in manufacturing medicines through this process.

“Hovione and Vertex have been strong collaborators for more than a decade and share a commitment to innovative science,” said Guy Villax, CEO of Hovione, in a company statement. “This agreement adds to a recently announced $24 million investment in our New Jersey facility. The entire expansion will double Hovione's development and manufacturing capacity at that site.”

Source: Hovione