20 Feb 2020 07:00
20 February 2020
RNS REACH
Open Orphan Plc
("Open Orphan" or the "Company")
Appointment of Professor Oxford as Chair of Advisory Board, with initial focus to help guide Open Orphan in the provision of solutions to Coronavirus outbreak
Open Orphan, the rapidly growing specialist CRO pharmaceutical services company which has a focus on orphan drugs and is a world leader in the provision of virology and vaccine challenge study services, and has Europe's only 24 bedroom quarantine clinic with onsite virology lab in Queen Mary's Hospital London, is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor John Oxford as Chair of a newly established Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will focus initially on guiding Open Orphan in the provision of solutions to the current Coronavirus outbreak.
The Advisory Board has been established to help the Company support product development for customers developing antivirals, vaccines and respiratory therapeutics, all particularly relevant and topical in the environment of heightened awareness of the Coronavirus in 2020.
Professor John Oxford, a Professor at Queen Mary's University London and one of the world's leading experts on global diseases such as influenza, including bird flu, SARS, MERS and Coronavirus, will Chair the Advisory Board alongside Professor Brendan Buckley, a Director of Open Orphan.
For further information please contact
Open Orphan plc Cathal Friel, Executive Chairman Trevor Phillips, Chief Executive Officer |
+353 (0)1 644 0007 +44 (0)20 7347 5350 |
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Arden Partners plc (Nominated Adviser and Joint Broker) John Llewellyn-Lloyd / Benjamin Cryer | +44 (0)20 7614 5900 |
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Davy (Euronext Growth Adviser and Joint Broker) Anthony Farrell | +353 (0)1 679 6363 |
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Camarco (Financial PR) |
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Tom Huddart / Daniel Sherwen | +44 (0)20 3757 4980 |
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Notes to Editors:
Open Orphan is a rapidly growing specialist CRO pharmaceutical services company which has a focus on orphan drugs and is a world leader in the provision of virology and vaccine challenge study services and viral laboratory services. It has Europe's only 24-bedroom quarantine clinic with onsite virology lab in Queen Mary's Hospital London. hVIVO supports product development for customers developing antivirals, vaccines and respiratory therapeutics, all particularly relevant and topical in the environment of heightened awareness of the Coronavirus in 2020. The company also has a leading portfolio of 8 viral challenge study models which are: 2 FLU, 2 RSV, 1 HRV, 1 Asthma, 1 cough and 1 COPD viral challenge models. No other company in the world has such a portfolio, with only two competitors globally having 1 challenge study model each.
Open Orphan comprises of two commercial specialist CRO services businesses (Venn and hVIVO) and is developing an early stage orphan drug genomics data platform business. This platform captures valuable genetic data from patient populations with specific diseases with designated orphan drug status and incorporating AI tools. In June 2019, Open Orphan acquired AIM-listed Venn Life Sciences Holdings plc in a reverse take-over and in January 2020 it completed the merger with hVIVO plc. Venn, as an integrated drug development consultancy, offers CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and controls), preclinical, phase I & II clinical trials design and execution. The merger with hVIVO created a European full pharma services company broadening the Company's customer base and with complementary specialist CRO services, widened the range of the Company's service offerings.