London-based CRO hVIVO has landed a £16.8 million ($21 million) contract from an unnamed drugmaker to conduct a phase 2 trial of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) antiviral drug candidate.
The company, which hVIVO has only described as a “top five global pharmaceutical” organization, will use hVIVO’s human challenge study model. Additionally, the contract will see the expedited manufacture of the RSV challenge agent, as well as a confirmatory challenge cohort and a multiple cohort challenge trial, the company said in a Dec. 13 release.
HVIVO said it expects to start the RSV human challenge trial in the second half of 2024.
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.