hVIVO signs £6m influenza clinical trial deal

(Sharecast News) - hVIVO announced on Thursday that it has signed a £6m clinical trial agreement with a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company to conduct an influenza human challenge trial.

The AIM-traded clinical development company said the study would evaluate a monoclonal antibody for respiratory viral disease using its influenza human challenge study model.

It said the randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial is planned to take place at hVIVO's specialist quarantine facilities in Canary Wharf.

Healthy participants would be recruited through the company's FluCamp arm, while laboratory work for the efficacy analysis will be carried out by hVIVO's virology laboratory at the same site.

The study was expected to start this year, with revenue recognised across 2026 and 2027.

hVIVO said the contract, together with other recently announced awards, provided a significant step change in revenue visibility for 2026.

Chief executive Yamin 'Mo' Khan said the company's integrated recruitment, clinical trial and specialist virology analytics capabilities allowed clients to evaluate assets "rapidly and rigorously".

"This study reflects the strength of our end-to-end offering and our continued focus on supporting partners developing differentiated solutions for influenza prevention," he said.

Chief scientific officer Dr Andrew Catchpole said hVIVO's influenza model was designed to characterise viral kinetics and host responses, supporting early evaluation of the clinical and virological impact of new drugs.

"Seasonal influenza remains a significant burden for global healthcare systems and hVIVO is proud to help speed up the development of new therapies that are vital to reducing the severity of yearly outbreaks," he commented.

At 1049 BST, shares in hVIVO were up 6.67% at 8p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.

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