694: Mo Khan CEO of Open Orphan discusses their new substantial contract and NOMAD speculation

The Vox Markets Podcast

Mo Khan CEO of Open Orphan #ORPH discusses their new substantial contract signed with an existing top 5 global pharmaceutical client to manufacture a virus for use in human challenge studies and also recent speculation about their NOMAD.

Open Orphan plc (AIM: ORPH), a rapidly growing specialist contract research organisation (CRO) and world leader in testing infectious and respiratory disease products using human challenge clinical trials, announces that hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan, has signed a substantial contract with an existing top 5 global pharmaceutical client to manufacture a virus for use in human challenge studies.

Virus manufacturing activities have commenced and are expected to be completed by end of Q3 2022. The Company is optimistic that a characterisation study and a substantial human challenge study would follow the completion of the GMP-compliant manufacturing process. The aim of a characterisation study is to establish the right dose of the virus that causes a safe and reliable infection in healthy volunteers. The revenue for the manufacturing process will be recognised in 2022.

The manufacture of new challenge viruses ensures that hVIVO has contemporary challenge agents available to meet the needs of the global pharmaceutical industry as they continue to fight the battle against infectious disease. Furthermore, this ensures the Company continues to enhance and expand its offering of human challenge studies, especially among infectious diseases where variants continually emerge and are often poorly understood.

About Open Orphan

Open Orphan plc (London and Euronext: ORPH) is a rapidly growing contract research company that is a world leader in testing infectious and respiratory disease products using human challenge clinical trials. The Company provides services to Big Pharma, biotech, and government/public health organisations.

The Company has a leading portfolio of human challenge study models for infectious and respiratory diseases and is developing a number of new models, such as malaria and COVID-19, to address the dramatic growth of the global infectious disease market. The Paris and Breda offices have over 25 years of experience providing drug development services such as biometry, data management, statistics CMC, PK and medical writing to third party clients as well as supporting the London-based challenge studies.