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Open Orphan’s hVIVO signs £3m challenge virus manufacturing contract

06:31, 10th May 2021
Francesca Morgan
Vox Newswire
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Open Orphan (ORPH FOLLOW) said its subsidiary, hVIVO, has signed a £3 million contract with Imperial College London whereby it will develop a new SARS-CoV-2 challenge virus.

This latest agreement forms part of a new initiative funded by Wellcome Trust, a London-based charitable foundation which is focused on health research, to manufacture a SARS-CoV-2 challenge virus based on new emerging variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The developed challenge agent will be used in future hVIVO run human challenge trials to allow direct comparisons of vaccines or antivirals against different COVID-19 variants.

The project will begin immediately and is expected to complete before the end of 2021.

Following completion of the project there is the potential for a follow on characterisation study for this virus to be conducted by hVIVO in partnership with Imperial and Wellcome.

Open Orphan outlined to investors that hVIVO has two decades of experience and expertise in challenge agent (virus) manufacture across a range of respiratory viruses including various strains of influenza, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), human Rhinovirus hRV (common cold virus), as well as a more recently the initial circulating SARS-CoV-2 virus.

The Group noted how it has successfully initiated the development of a number of COVID-19 challenge viruses with the development of the initial circulating COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus as part of the Human Challenge Programme in partnership with the UK Government. 

“This contract is a great example of how our unique abilities to provide an all-encompassing solution for human challenge trials sets us apart,” said Executive Chairman of Open Orphan, Cathal Friel.

He added, “We are able to support our customers from the very beginning of the process by developing challenge study models, including the manufacture of the challenge virus, as well as taking responsibility for full trial recruitment and using our London based quarantine facilities to run the human challenge studies themselves.”

Dr Andrew Catchpole, Chief Scientific Officer of hVIVO commented: “The availability of a variant SARS-CoV-2 virus will greatly expand the utility of the SARS-CoV-2 challenge model and allow us to answer a wider range of important scientific questions to aid control of the pandemic as well as facilitate further testing of vaccines designed against COVID-19.” 

“By keeping up with viral evolution, we will be able to address even more relevant scientific questions and test the ability of immune responses after vaccination and infection to protect against different strains of SARS-CoV-2,” said Dr Chris Chiu, Imperial College London.

He added, “We are committed to enhancing collaboration through sharing of this virus with academic investigators around the world who have capacity to conduct human infection challenge for academic purposes, thus further enhancing the pandemic response.” 

View from Vox

Today’ news marks a further contract win for the firm’s subsidiary, hVIVO, which is one of the few organisations globally which has ‘decades of experience’ in challenge agent (virus) manufacture across a range of respiratory viruses including viruses, inter alia, influenza.

ORPH believes it can support its customers ‘from the very beginning of the process’ by developing challenge study models, including the manufacture of the challenge virus, as well as overseeing full trial recruitment through using its own London-based facilities.  

Shares in ORPH have increased by over 55% since the start of 2021. Today’s news follows its announcement last month in which it told investors that it was at “an advanced stage” of a possible spin out of some of its non-core development intellectual property assets. 

ORPH price chart

Reasons to FOLLOW ORPH

Open Orphan is a rapidly growing Contract Research Organisation and world leader in the testing of vaccines and antivirals through the use of human challenge clinical trials. 

The Group comprises two commercial specialist CRO services businesses, hVIVO and  Venn Life Sciences and is also building out a valuable data platform business. All businesses are now working closely together to offer upselling and cross selling opportunities.  

World Class Facilities 

Open has Europe's only 24-bedroom quarantine clinic with onsite virology providing individually isolated rooms and specialist laboratory facilities. The hVIVO facility offers highly specialised virology and immunology laboratory services to support pre-clinical and clinical respiratory drug, antiviral, and vaccine discovery and development.  

Largest Test Portfolio 

Open Orphan has a leading portfolio of 8 viral challenge study models, which are: 2 FLU, 2 RSV, 1 HRV, 1 Asthma, 1 cough and 1 COPD viral challenge models. As announced in early March 2020, it is rapidly advancing several COVID-19 challenge study models and expects to be helping many COVID-19 vaccine development companies to test their vaccines.  

hVIVO works with UK and Irish companies to provide COVID-19 testing to staff to protect staff and customers from a workplace COVID-19 outbreak through its COVID Clear offering.  
The company announced that its firstvolunteer had been dosed with the Codagenix needle free, intranasal COVID-19 vaccine, COVI-VAC as part of a Phase I clinical trial of COVI-VAC currently being carried out by hVIVO, at its facility in the UK.  

Rapidly Expanding Market 

The market for vaccine development and testing has grown rapidly over the past six months, largely due to the outbreak of Covid-19. 

However, ORPH believes Governments and International pharmaceutical companies around the world will be making enormous ‘catch-up investments’ in all types of vaccine development to ensure the effects of any pandemic can be mitigated in the future, which it said should result in the hIVO facility being booked out for months, if not years, in advance going forward.  

Follow News & Updates from Open Orphan here: FOLLOW

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The information, investment views and recommendations in this article are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this article should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engaging in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the writer but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. Vox Markets may receive payment from companies mentioned for enhanced profiling or publication presence. The writer may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.

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