Valneva’s chikungunya virus vaccine recommended by US CDC advisory committee

Valneva has announced that its single-dose vaccine, Ixchiq, has been recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV).

The recommendation comes after the company sold its CHIKV vaccine priority voucher that it received from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for $103m, in February.

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by CHIKV, a togaviridae virus that is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, which can lead to symptoms such as the acute onset of fever, debilitating joint or muscle pain, headache, nausea, rash and chronic arthralgia.

The infection leads to symptomatic disease after four to seven days following the mosquito bite in around 97% of people.

The ACIP voted to recommend Ixchiq for people aged 18 years and over who are travelling to a country or territory where there is a chikungunya outbreak.

It may also be considered for people aged 65 years and older, who are travelling to a country or territory with evidence of CHIKV transmission within the last five years, who have at least moderate exposures to mosquitoes or who are travelling for six months or longer.

Additionally, the vaccination was recommended for laboratory workers with potential exposure to CHIKV.

The recommendations will now be passed on to the director of the CDC and the US Department of Health and Human Services to be reviewed and approved.

In November last year, Valneva’s Ixchiq was granted accelerated approval by the FDA for use in individuals ages 18 and older who are at an increased risk of exposure to the mosquito-borne disease, which marked the vaccine as the world’s first licensed vaccine for chikungunya.

March 13, 2024