Valneva SE (Nasdaq: VALN; Euronext Paris: VLA), a specialty vaccine company, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization in Europe for Valneva’s single-dose vaccine, IXCHIQ®, for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus in individuals 18 years of age and older. The approval was unanimously endorsed by Member States following a stringent assessment by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)1.
The EC decision marks the third approval the Company has received for IXCHIQ® following approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November 2023 and Health Canada last month2. The Company expects to deliver the first doses in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2024.
IXCHIQ® is the world’s only licensed chikungunya vaccine available to address this unmet medical need. In accordance with the International Recognition Procedure (IRP)3, Valneva has also submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). An additional marketing authorization application is under review by the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) to make the vaccine available in certain Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), with potential approval in 2024.
Juan Carlos Jaramillo, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, commented, “The EC approval marks a crucial milestone toward making this vaccine available to as many European citizens as possible. In recent years, climate change has caused the Aedes mosquito, a known carrier of chikungunya and dengue viruses, to spread to areas in Europe that were previously unaffected. It is critical to provide a vaccine solution not only to European travelers going to endemic chikungunya areas, such as South America or Africa, but also to the local European populations experiencing invasive mosquito attacks. We would like to thank our partner, CEPI, for supporting us in this endeavor.”
Dr. Richard Hatchett, Chief Executive Officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), commented, “Supported by CEPI and EU funding, IXCHIQ is the world’s first vaccine offering protection against the debilitating Chikungunya virus. The EU’s rapid approval of the vaccine, following recommendation by the European Medicines Agency, is a historic moment to help protect the lives and livelihoods of European populations against Chikungunya outbreaks, which are becoming more frequent and widespread in the region. But the fight is not over – as a matter of priority CEPI is working with Valneva and the EU to expand access to the vaccine to those living in endemic countries who are greatest risk from the disease.”
The EC marketing authorization follows the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) positive opinion a month ago4 and is supported by data from the pivotal Phase 3 study which were published in The Lancet, and showed a 98.9% seroresponse rate at 28 days with a single vaccination. This immune response was sustained for 24 months by 97% of participants and was equally durable in younger and older adults5. Last month, Valneva reported further positive pivotal data in adolescents six months after a single vaccination, which are intended to support filing for potential label extension for use in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years6. The data are also expected to support licensure of IXCHIQ® in Brazil, which would be the first potential approval for use in an endemic population.
Valneva partnered with CEPI 7 and Instituto Butantan in Brazil8 to make the vaccine more accessible to LMIC. The collaboration falls within the framework of the agreement signed between CEPI and Valneva in July 20199, which provides funding of up to $24.6 million with support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program.