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Open Orphan (ORPH) Shares Gain as hVIVO Trial Reports Positive Results

Sam Boughedda trader
Updated 7 Sep 2021

Shares of pharmaceutical firm Open Orphan (LON: ORPH) are climbing after the company noted an announcement dated from Barvarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) reporting positive results from a human challenge study conducted by hVIVO.

hVIVO, a subsidiary of Open Orphan, conducted the study, which tested Barvarian's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate, MVA-BN RSV.

The trial enrolled 61 adult volunteers aged 18-50 years old, who were randomised to receive either a single vaccination of MVA-BN RSV or a placebo.

“The study demonstrated a significant reduction in viral load in vaccinated subjects (n=30) versus placebo (n=31), thus meeting the primary endpoint,” said Open Orphan.

Cathal Friel, Executive Chairman of Open Orphan, said: “We are delighted to see the positive results emerge from this RSV Human Challenge Study with Bavarian Nordic for its RSV vaccine candidate, which was run by hVIVO. This study illustrates the company's diverse offering across the infectious disease market.

“We are the only company in the world that is currently equipped to run RSV challenge studies, which forms part of our wider portfolio of respiratory and infectious disease challenge trials. With the global infectious disease market expected to reach a value of $250bn by 2025, we are already seeing a huge increase in interest across the entire pharmaceutical and biotech space in these previously underserved infectious disease areas.”

Following the news, Open Orphan shares rose to a high of 27.4p, adding to last week's gains. 

Should you invest in Open Orphan shares?

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Sam is a trader and lead stock market writer at AskTraders. After starting his career in the forex market, Sam now focuses on stocks, specifically consumer staples.Â