VRP.L Share News (VRP)

Respiratory diseases specialist Verona Pharma has hailed a positive outcome of a clinical trial of its lead drug candidate, the snappily-named RPL554. The data showed that a single dose of RPL554 in spray form administered to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) produced a rapid widening of the airways, greater than a 15% increase in FEV1 (forced expiratory volume at 1 second). This magnitude of what medical professionals call a bronchodilator response was significantly larger than that produced by placebo and appeared to be at least equivalent to that produced by a standard dose of the industry-standard bronchodilator product in these patients. In addition, inhalation of the doses was well tolerated and did not cause any significant adverse effects.Image Scan, which provides two-dimensional and three-dimensional scanning gizmos to the security and industrial inspection markets, has landed a new industrial inspection system contract worth £138,000.Health-care software firm Avia has been given a vote of confidence by sector peer Advanced Computer Software Group (ACS), which is lending Avia £350,000 over three years at zero interest. ACS will have the option to convert the loan into a 29.9% stake in Avia, and has also been given the right to nominate a non-executive director to the Avia board. The funds will alleviate the working capital constraints Avia is currently experiencing.JH