Open Orphan confirms details around Covid antibody testing

Pharmaceutical services company Open Orphan responded to an increase in its share price on Monday morning, as well as media comment over its collaboration with Quotient.

The AIM-traded firm also noted a “substantial increase” in interest in antibody testing for Covid-19, following recent announcements by the UK government.

It confirmed that the ‘MosaiQ Covid-19 Antibody Microarray’ machine was on site at hVivo's laboratory in east London, and was undergoing testing.

The company expected it to be fully operational within two weeks, following which it would have the capacity to undertake up to 3,000 tests a day, in line with the expected performance stated by Quotient.

“The company intends to enter into discussions with channel partners to secure testing volumes with pricing to be determined as part of these negotiations,” the board said in its statement.

“It is not the company's intention to deal directly with consumers and while there can be no certainty on pricing until such time as terms are agreed, the company notes current market prices ranging from around £70 for home testing kits, and upwards towards £150.

“It is the intention to supply testing capability to channel partners, who will in turn deal with the end users and the final price points.”

At 1408 BST, shares in Open Orphan were up 13.67% at 14.72p.