hVIVO is the only global CRO focused on the delivery of human challenge trials, with its heritage dating back to the 1940s Common Cold Unit, and is spearheading a long term growth trend in the HCT market. HCTs, where volunteers are deliberately inoculated with a virus to test a vaccine or antiviral, are an increasingly recognised way of de-risking later stage clinical development for Big Pharma
and biotech companies, and hVIVO is seeing growing client demand for larger cohorts to gain insights into optimal dosing for later phase trials. HCTs have several fundamental advantages compared with traditional field trials which are driving their regular inclusion in the clinical development pathway:
- Faster turnaround times: HCTs enable companies to gain rapid efficacy data within 10-12 months, compared to 2-3 years in field studies
hVIVO plc (formerly Open Orphan plc) is a rapidly growing specialist contract research organisation (CRO) and the world leader in testing infectious and respiratory disease vaccines and antivirals using human challenge clinical trials, providing end-to-end early clinical development services for its broad and long-standing client base of biopharma companies.