Press Room

Lisbon, Portugal, 25 February 2022 – Hovione today announced that the Board of Directors and the shareholders have approved the appointment of Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux as Hovione’s Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st April 2022.     Guy Villax, who has been Hovione’s CEO for the past 25 years will now serve as a Member of the Board and shareholder. During his tenure, Hovione grew tenfold.  The company currently employs 2000 team members, serves the global market from four production sites in 3 regions, and is recognized as a leader in its field.       The Board of Directors expresses its thanks to Guy Villax for his dedication and outstanding achievements. During his career at Hovione, Guy Villax was also involved with the EFCG and Rx-360 associations and contributed to legislation being passed on both sides of the Atlantic to fight fake medicines and to level the playing field for GMP manufacturing.     “It has been a privilege and honor to lead Hovione over the last decades. Hovione is a great company because of its people and its clients. It has been an amazing entrepreneurial and human journey with so many projects and unforgettable success stories. I have seen this company, founded by my parents, growing, evolving and constantly re-inventing itself”, said Guy Villax. “Dr. Herbeaux joined Hovione nearly two years ago as COO and from day 1 brought change and contributed to financial and business successes.  We have worked together both on the strategy which will take Hovione to the next level and on making this transition smooth. I am certain that both the company and our Team-Members will continue to thrive under his leadership”, added Guy Villax.       “I am honored to be entrusted with the role of Hovione’s CEO and I am deeply motivated to lead this team of talented professionals. Building on Guy Villax´s legacy of innovation and customer intimacy, we will continue to work to drive long-term growth for both ourselves and our customers maintaining the Hovione values. Hovione puts customers and patients at the center of everything it does and this focus will not change. Our customers can expect us to continue to deliver on what we promise and to offer innovative approaches to their project needs.”, said Jean-Luc Herbeaux.     Before joining Hovione in May 2020, Dr. Herbeaux held multiple high-level leadership positions at Evonik, where he last headed the Health Care Business Line Dr. Herbeaux holds both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a research focus on Rheology from the University of Houston.       About Hovione: Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland, and Portugal and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded 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 and services, from API, formulation development and devices. Hovione was the first Chemical/ Pharmaceutical Company to became a Certified B Corp, is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in the industry standard setting process.          

Press Release
Hovione today announced the appointment of Dr. Jean-Luc Herbeaux as Hovione’s Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st April 2022

Jean-Luc Herbeaux to become Hovione CEO

Feb 25, 2022

Lisbon, 22nd February 2022 – Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, announced today a strategic partnership with Zerion Pharma to market and commercialize Dispersome®, Zerion´s proprietary solubility enhancement technology platform.   Zerion´s innovative Dispersome® 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® 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® 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®”.   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® 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 solutions 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® technology that greatly enhances the solubility of poorly soluble, oral drugs and improves bioavailability and therapeutic outcomes for the patients. The Dispersome® 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® 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® is a trademark of Zerion Pharma A/S)     Learn more about Dispersome® technology  

Press Release
Hovione, the leader in spray drying and particle engineering, announced today a strategic partnership with Zerion Pharma to market and commercialize Dispersome®, Zerion´s proprietary solubility enhancement technology platform.

Hovione and Zerion Pharma announce a strategic partnership to market the Dispersome® technology platform

Feb 22, 2022

Lisbon, Portugal, 18th February 2022 – Hovione announced today that effective March 1st, or as existing contracts allow, it will increase prices for its Products and Offerings for the global pharmaceutical industry, such as Minocycline, Doxycycline, Ivermectin, Fluticasone, and Mometasone. The necessity of price adjustments stems from increases in the costs of raw materials, labor, energy, transportation, packaging, equipment, and maintenance. Price increases of up to 40% for off-patent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Portfolio Products are required to offset these effects and continue to provide products sustainably to the market. For Development and Manufacturing Services, price increases will be applied to recalibrate the price to cost ratios based on the specific conditions of each program. Hovione is dedicated to supporting the global pharmaceutical industry and patients around the globe with consistent and reliable supply meeting the most stringent technical, quality, and compliance requirements. We continue to invest in our people, sites, technologies, and products to ensure we meet this commitment. In case you have any questions about these price increases, please contact your account manager.   About Hovione: Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland, and Portugal and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded 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 and services, from API, formulation development and devices. 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.  

Press Release
News release, 18 February 2022

Hovione increases prices for its off-patent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients, Portfolio Products as well as Development and Manufacturing Services

Feb 18, 2022

The Mark is operated by Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI), the non-profit organisation dedicated to sustainability and third-party audited by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Seven companies achieved the Mark for the first time with another ten achieving recertification.       Press Release Thursday 17th February:  Over 200 business leaders attended Business in the Community Ireland’s virtual celebration event where the latest companies certified to the Business Working Responsibly mark in 2021/2022 were announced. The Mark which is run by Business in the Community Ireland and based on ISO 26000 is valid for three years and is independently audited by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI). Seven companies are being accredited to the Mark for the first time this year and they are Alkermes, An Post, Grant Thornton Ireland, Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail, Ornua, Vermilion and William Fry. In addition, ten companies achieved recertification to the Mark and they are Boots (Retail) Ireland Ltd, BT Ireland, Central Bank of Ireland, CRH Operating Companies in Ireland, Deloitte Ireland, Gas Networks Ireland, HEINEKEN Ireland, Hovione, Intel Ireland and Sodexo Ireland. 46 companies in Ireland have now achieved the sustainability standard. The Mark  looks at leadership, policies, practices, performance and impact in areas such as employee wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, environmental practices, supply chain management and engagement with the local community. For more details on our sustainability standard, visit the Business Working Responsibly mark section of our website.    Read the full article on BITC.ie    

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BITCI Ireland, 17 February 2022

Seven Companies in Ireland achieve the Business Working Responsibly mark with a further ten recertifying to the standard

Feb 17, 2022

The Portuguese drug services firm Hovione has outlined a $170 million investment program through 2023 that it says will increase its production capacity by about 25%. In East Windsor, New Jersey, where Hovione is investing $50 million, the company will add two spray dryers, tripling capacity, and expand its capacity to make research- and small-scale quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). “We are looking to build this up to a significant site for Hovione with more than 300 people,” says Jean-Luc Herbeaux, the firm’s chief operating officer. Hovione currently employs about 150 people in New Jersey. In Cork, Ireland, it will spend about $50 million to upgrade its high-potency API production and add a spray dryer. In Loures, Portugal, Hovione is spending $70 million on additions such as a new manufacturing building and an eight-lab quality control facility. These projects, some of which are already complete, will take up all the available space at the Loures site, according to CEO Guy Villax. “Last year we broke $300 million in sales,” Villax says, and the firm is targeting $400 million this year. “The company needs to be less Portuguese. You will see us invest and grow our footprint more in the US than elsewhere.”The Portuguese drug services firm Hovione has outlined a $170 million investment program through 2023 that it says will increase its production capacity by about 25%. In East Windsor, New Jersey, where Hovione is investing $50 million, the company will add two spray dryers, tripling capacity, and expand its capacity to make research- and small-scale quantities of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). “We are looking to build this up to a significant site for Hovione with more than 300 people,” says Jean-Luc Herbeaux, the firm’s chief operating officer. Hovione currently employs about 150 people in New Jersey. In Cork, Ireland, it will spend about $50 million to upgrade its high-potency API production and add a spray dryer. In Loures, Portugal, Hovione is spending $70 million on additions such as a new manufacturing building and an eight-lab quality control facility. These projects, some of which are already complete, will take up all the available space at the Loures site, according to CEO Guy Villax. “Last year we broke $300 million in sales,” Villax says, and the firm is targeting $400 million this year. “The company needs to be less Portuguese. You will see us invest and grow our footprint more in the US than elsewhere.”   Read the entire article on CEN.acs.org  

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C&EN, 21 November 2021

Hovione will expand 3 pharmaceutical chemistry facilities

Jan 24, 2022

Solid growth and sizable investments will continue in the pharmaceutical services sector as contract manufacturers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and drug intermediates move into a third year of navigating the unpredictable impact of the pandemic. “Aside from what you can’t predict, it’s a very good time to be in contract services,” says Wayne Weiner, who heads the consulting firm PharmaTech Solutions. “It doesn’t seem the funding will dry up for biotechs, which are really driving a lot of the innovation.” And biotech innovators without production assets are increasingly bringing drug candidates to market themselves rather than licensing to larger drug companies, thus generating longer-term contracts with service firms, Weiner says. But James Bruno, president of another consulting firm, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Solutions, sees a red flag. “I think we are going to be short on capacity all year,” he says. “Everybody seems to be booked.”   Managers at service firms agree that capacity constraint is a concern, and they point to continued investment in new capacity in response. Hovione, CordenPharma, and Pharmteco are among the companies with plans to add small-molecule API capacity. Hovione is expanding on both sides of the Atlantic; the Portuguese firm is 2 years into a 3-year program that is expected to increase overall capacity by 25%. CordenPharma will expand clinical-scale peptide production in Frankfurt, Germany, and solid-dose drug output in Plankstadt, Germany. Pharmteco is expanding API production in South Korea and is adding capacity at a newly acquired cell and gene therapy site in France.   While service providers are likely to continue broadening their offerings beyond small-molecule API production in 2022, services for the emerging cell and gene therapy industry will develop on a parallel track and attract only a handful of the largest traditional firms. Cell and gene therapy is getting a lot of attention, Bruno says, but most of the investment in the drug services sector will continue to be in small-molecule production.   Read the article at CEN.org  

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C&EN, 17 January 2022

Pharmaceutical services to grow for another year

Jan 17, 2022

Recently the Hovione Cork site achieved certification of The Business Working Responsibly Mark for the second time, having first achieved the Mark in 2018. The Mark is the leading independently audited standard for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability certification in Ireland and is based on ISO26000. The Mark assessment process involved a root to branch review of Hovione's corporate social responsibility and sustainability management systems across five pillars - Governance, Workplace, Marketplace, Environment and Community.   “The awarding of the certification for another 3 years is great recognition of the work and dedication that the team in Cork have to continuously improving and developing the CSR standards and practices at the site and its positive impact on both the workplace and the wider community”, said Louise Dennehy.   The process for recertification began in April this year lead by Louise Dennehy, HR Business Partner, Marguerite Lynch, HSE Manager - Environment, Bruno Dias, OpEx Specialist and Maureen O'Leary, Procurement Manager with the audit taking place virtually at the end of October. Along with a full process and documentation review, 4 team members were interviewed by the assessor on their knowledge, awareness and understanding of the company’s CSR activities.   You might be also interested in: B Corp Certification Sustainability  

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A recognition for CSR practices at the site and its positive impact on both the workplace and the wider community

Hovione Cork renews its certification of The Business Working Responsibly Mark

Dec 05, 2021

In the picture: Herman José, presenter of the ceremony, Diane Villax, founder chairman of Hovione, António Gonçalves da Silva, President of the College of Chemical and Biological Engineering.     The Order of Engineers (OE) in Portugal celebrated its 85th anniversary and to mark the occasion held a Gala on the 27th of November. During the ceremony, OE trophies were awarded to distinguish the best projects, works, personalities or institutions of National Engineering. Hovione was awarded for its work in the field of pharmaceutical chemistry over more than 60 years. The award was received by Mrs. Diane Villax on behalf of Hovione. In her acceptance speech, Mrs. Diane Villax referred to Hovione's role in research and development, highlighting the important contribution given by the Team members and the PhD’s and Master programs in progress within the company.  

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Mrs. Diane Villax represented Hovione at the Gala of the Order of Engineers

Hovione distinguished with the Order of Engineers trophy

Nov 29, 2021

In 2021, Procurement Leaders – a community that provides strategy development and peer-to-peer benchmarking for Chief Procurement Officers – decided to replace their World Procurement Awards with a one-off celebration: Extraordinary Stories. These stories, from organizations across the globe recognize how procurement has stepped up in times of strain to support business performance, protect local communities and save lives during the pandemic.   Luís Portela, Procurement Director at Hovione, was invited to tell Hovione’s extraordinary story through this period. In a short video he explains how we produced and supplied for free, sanitizing agents at a time where this was scarcely available and speculation drove prohibitive prices.   We adapted sectors of our industrial facilities to produce sanitizing agent and made it available for free to our Team Members at work and at home, as well as to healthcare and social supporting institutions. This was only possible with a team effort while we continued to produce medicines that save lives without disruptions.   Watch the video at Procurement Leaders.com Learn more about our efforts in the article "Stepping up to the hand sanitizer shortage" by C&EN.        

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Procurement Leaders invited our Procurement Director to explain how Hovione produced and offered sanitizing agent to the community.

Watch Luís Portela on Procurement Leaders' Extraordinary Stories

Nov 25, 2021

New Jersey, USA, 22nd November 2021 - Hovione, the global leader in spray drying and particle engineering announced that it is expanding its New Jersey site in East Windsor, laying the foundations for a state-of-the-art Hovione Campus. This expansion in New Jersey will create up to 100 jobs over the next few years is part of a global expansion strategy representing an investment of $170million in increasing its capacity at its sites in the USA, Ireland and Portugal and was recently announced by Guy Villax, Chief Executive Officer, and Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Chief Operating Officer at Hovione. In New Jersey, Hovione will add a 31,000 sqft building next to its current facility in East Windsor, New Jersey, laying the foundations for a state-of-the-art Hovione Campus. This investment will bring additional commercial spray drying capacity online by 2023. The expansion will allow the company to respond to the needs of customers who favor US-based manufacturing through their development cycles all the way to commercial. Additionally, it will solidify the Hovione’s integrated offer: API - Particle Engineering - Drug Product in the region. “Hovione has set the goal of becoming the leading company provider of innovative and integrated solutions for the global pharmaceutical industry by 2028. Given its dimension and above all, the extremely high regulatory requirements, the US market is fundamental for the company and this investment represents a key step in our expansion strategy” says Filipe Tomás, General Manager at Hovione in New Jersey. He adds that “Hovione was established more than 60 years ago in Portugal and the company’s sustainable organic growth has allowed us to strive for excellence, rigor, innovation and quality. Present in the US since 2002, we have ensured that these values remain at the forefront of what we do at the New Jersey site”.  About Hovione: Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland and Portugal and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs including highly potent compounds. For generic pharmaceutical customers the company offers niche API products. In the inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services. Hovione is a company with a culture based on innovation, quality and delivery. Hovione is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.     

Press Release
This expansion in New Jersey will create up to 100 jobs over the next few years is part of a global expansion strategy

Hovione announces New Pharma Campus expansion in New Jersey

Nov 22, 2021

Jean-Luc Herbeaux, COO, and Guy Villax, CEO at CPhI Worldwide, in Milan.   Milan, 10th November, 2021 – Hovione, the global leader in spray drying and particle engineering, today announced that it is expanding its industrial facilities around the world to support its ambitious growth objectives. The company has been on an expansion track since 2016 in Portugal, Ireland and New Jersey with the aim of continuing to increase its capacity and capabilities to address customer needs.   The announcement of a $170 million investment in Hovione units in Portugal, Ireland, and New Jersey, leading to a global capacity increase of approximately 25%, was made at CPhI Worldwide, in Milan, by Guy Villax, CEO, and Jean-Luc Herbeaux, COO.    These investments will be used to support growth in the company´s pharma custom development and manufacturing service business, fueled by strongly growing demand for Hovione´s integrated and differentiated services in drug substance manufacturing, particle engineering and most recently drug product manufacturing. The expansion will go hand-in-hand with a build-up of Hovione´s global team with the creation of more than 300 new jobs globally. This strategy will allow the company to continue to address difficult-to-meet client needs while reinforcing its commitment to the Hovione values and standard of quality.   In the USA, Hovione will add a 2900m2 building next to its current facility in East Windsor, New Jersey, laying the foundations for a state-of-the-art Hovione Campus. The upcoming cycle of investment will bring additional commercial spray drying capacity online by 2023. Further investments will follow with the aim to solidify the company´s integrated offer: API - Particle - Drug Product in the region. This expansion will allow Hovione to accompany existing and new customers favoring US-based manufacturing through their development cycles all the way to commercial.   The capacity and capabilities of Hovione´s Cork site in the Republic of Ireland will also be upgraded to enable the production of Highly Potent Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (HPAPI) and to facilitate onboarding of Drug Substance Manufacturing projects of all sizes. The investment will create an ecosystem in which large customer projects with unique technologies can find a home by connecting to the existing infrastructure and equipment. The site will also receive a new commercial size spray dryer to support the growing demand for particle engineering services.    In Portugal, Hovione is ready to start operations of its most recent facility with an increase in chemical synthesis capacity for High Potency Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (HPAPI). The building is also prepared to receive a new commercial spray dryer to respond to the future needs of the global drug market.   “Hovione is in it for life and what better way to manifest this than through expansion of our global capacity and capabilities. Our sustainable organic growth strategy will allow us to keep true to those values that have been guiding us for more than 60 years”, says Guy Villax, Chief Executive Officer.   “These investments reinforce our integrated specialized offer globally, providing our clients with a line of sight for their projects. Focus is placed on facilitating and speeding up the drug development cycle and launch, by providing API manufacturing, Particle Engineering and Tableting services in each site. Our strategy continues to be to grow organically via investments in our existing sites, which are designed for purpose. This reduces the complexity associated with the growth journey and allows us to focus our management attention on what counts most, i.e. guaranteeing that our clients go to market with quality, safe and effective medicines for their patients” says Jean-Luc Herbeaux, Hovione’s Chief Operation Officer.   About Hovione: Hovione is an international company with over 60 years of experience as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and is currently a fully integrated supplier offering services for drug substance, drug product intermediate and drug product. With four FDA inspected sites in the USA, China, Ireland and Portugal and development laboratories in Lisbon, Portugal and New Jersey, USA, the company provides branded pharmaceutical customers services for the development and compliant manufacture of innovative drugs including highly potent compounds. For generic pharmaceutical customers the company offers niche API products. In the inhalation area, Hovione is the only independent company offering a complete range of services. Hovione is a company with a culture based on innovation, quality and delivery. Hovione is a member of Rx-360, EFCG and participates actively in industry quality improvement initiatives to lead new global industry standards.     

Press Release
Hovione, the global leader in spray drying and particle engineering, today announced that it is expanding its industrial facilities around the world to support its ambitious growth objectives

Hovione invests $170 million in new capacity and capabilities

Nov 11, 2021

Today we celebrate World Science Day for Peace and Development. A year ago, on a day like this, Covid-19 limited our day-to-day life and narrowed humanity's expectations like never before. When would partial or total confinement end? When would the rules that restrained the most basic human instinct – close contact with other people, come to an end? A month later, in December 2020, anticipating the best expectations by years… science has found not one but several vaccines able to stop the spread of the virus. Hovione closely witnessed this extraordinary evolution. Today, on World Science Day, our scientists spread across three continents, feel especially proud to be part of the international scientific community that will always live up to its responsibilities. World health can count on us. Science saves lives — to celebrate science is to celebrate life.  

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Science saves lives - to celebrate science is to celebrate life

World Science Day 2021

Nov 10, 2021

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