hVIVO PLC (AIM:HVO) shares rose 11% to 8.18p after the clinical development specialist announced a new influenza human challenge trial contract and unveiled a unified brand identity on the same day, marking what the company says is the completion of its transformation into a fully integrated drug development partner.
The trial agreement with Traws Pharma will see hVIVO test tivoxavir marboxil, an investigational single-dose oral antiviral targeting seasonal influenza and bird flu, at its Canary Wharf quarantine facilities.
The study is expected to start in the first half of this year and the majority of revenue is expected to fall in 2026.
Alongside the contract, hVIVO consolidated its recently acquired businesses, including Venn Life Sciences, CRS and Cryostore, under a single brand operating across four service lines: consulting, clinical trials, human challenge trials and laboratories.
Chief executive Yamin 'Mo' Khan said the Traws deal illustrated the value of keeping recruitment, laboratory work and trial execution under one roof, and that the unified brand reflected the group's ability to take clients from preclinical strategy all the way through to phase II and beyond.