Open Orphan begins testing of Covid-19 anti-viral treatment

Pharmaceutical services company Open Orphan said it had started testing an anti-viral drug to treat Covid-19 on behalf of its client Nearmedic International.

Open Orphan said its London-based subsidiary hVIVOwould use its virology expertise to test an anti-viral drug with potential utility for treating SARS-CoV2 infections.

The AIM-listed firm said the drug showed potential anti-viral and anti-inflammatory activity, adding it could reduce both virus infectivity and disease severity.

hVIVO will be testing its utility against a panel of viruses - including influenza viruses, circulating betacoronaviruses and ultimately SARS-CoV2.

Chairman Cathal Friel said: "hVIVO is a world-leading provider of services to global vaccine and antiviral development companies and our scientists have considerable knowledge from previous anti-viral trials which gives us confidence in our testing."

As of 1020 BST, Open Orphan shares were up 3.04% at 7.26p.