Hvivo, the pharmaceutical services company formerly known as Open Orphan, has signed a contract worth £6.3 million (€7.3 million) to test a potential treatment for the common cold.
The contract, which is with an unnamed biotechnology client, is for a human challenge trial for an antiviral candidate to treat human rhinovirus (HRV), evaluating the effect on viral load, safety, tolerability and prophylactic antiviral activity. It will be carried out at the company’s new quarantine facilities in Canary Wharf.
More than 150 distinct types of HRV are currently known, but to date, no antiviral has been approved in the prevention or treatment of HRV infection. While many people with HRV suffer mild infection or are asymptomatic, the virus group is linked to the exacerbation of asthma and COPD.
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.
