RE: The Times picks hVIVO31 Dec 2023 09:14
Lucy Tobin — hVIVO
Some bravery is needed to make a prediction for 2024, given the flurry of unforeseeable events we’ve been hit with so far this decade. But flu, asthma and malaria will certainly still be inflicted on us, so I’m backing hVIVO.
The Aim-listed firm runs fast-tracked human clinical trials — testing vaccines and antivirals by infecting volunteers in quarantine settings — for clients including Pfizer and GSK. It enjoyed a rollicking 2023, with its shares almost doubling, but there is more to come: this month, hVIVO signed a £17 million contract with Big Pharma to test a drug candidate for treating the respiratory virus RSV. In the coming months, it is also opening a 40,000 sq ft quarantine facility with 50 bedrooms in Canary Wharf; this should boost business further.
A pharmaceutical giant may well come knocking at chief executive Mo Khan’s door with a big cheque during 2024 — but even if not, hVIVO is a defensive, fast-growing stock to watch.