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)

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

Isabel Pina | Director External Communications | ipina@hovione.com |Tel.: +351 
21 982 93 62