RBC backs Oxford BioMedica with 'outperform' rating amid Novartis trial halt

Oxford BioMedica PLC (LSE:OXB) received a reaffirmed 'outperform' rating from RBC Capital Markets on Friday, as the broker shrugged off clinical trial halts at two heavyweight pharmaceutical partners.

The shares inched up 1% to 430p in morning trade, with RBC holding its 900p target price and branding the clinical disruption as of limited direct financial relevance.

An unconfirmed £10 million to £16 million in annual clinical revenue is at risk, split between £7 million to £10 million from Novartis and £2 million to £6 million from BMS.

Pre-booked manufacturing slots protect guidance through financial year 2026, pushing any real disruption to new bookings back into the second half of 2027.

Trial halts also diverge, as Novartis paused autoimmune studies after three patient deaths while keeping oncology dosing active, whereas BMS reported zero fatalities and continues registering new studies.

Both paused programmes rely on rapid platforms like Novartis' T-Charge and BMS' NEXT-T, potentially handing a competitive windfall to Oxford BioMedica's conventionally manufactured clients, Kyverna Therapeutics (KYV-101) and Cabaletta Bio (rese-cel).

Further operational insulation comes from 52 active programmes, with adeno-associated virus opportunities now surpassing lentiviral vectors, accounting for 43% of the development pipeline.

Adding incremental momentum, peer-reviewed data from client partner Transgene affirmed 100% disease-free survival at three years for its personalised cancer vaccine, with phase II trials now actively dosing.

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