Irish-run Open Orphan gets boost as Covid trials on humans deemed safe

Shares rose 8% to value the company at over €181m

Open Orphan executive chairman Cathal Friel: 'Crucially, we have now successfully established a Covid-19 human challenge model which could be instrumental in accelerating the development of future Covid-19 therapeutics.'

Shares in the Irish-run Open Orphan rose 8% as the company which conducts live trials on viruses said the tests it conducts on humans in London using the Covid-19 virus have been deemed safe. 

It said that a "landmark" study by Imperial College London, the UK's Department of Health, and the Royal Free London Hospital showed its human trials were "safe in healthy young adults and provide detailed insights into the course of Covid-19 infection with potential positive public health implications".