Valneva Announces Health Canada Approval of the World's First Chikungunya Vaccine, IXCHIQ®

Core Insights - Health Canada's approval of IXCHIQ® marks a significant advancement in combating the chikungunya virus, which is increasingly prevalent due to climate change, with hundreds of thousands of cases reported in the Americas, South Asia, and Africa this year [1][6][10] - Valneva, a specialty vaccine company, is focused on developing and commercializing vaccines for infectious diseases, with IXCHIQ® being the only licensed chikungunya vaccine available [2][11] - The vaccine is expected to be commercially available in Canada by Q4 2024, following its recent approval in the U.S. and a pending decision from the European Medicines Agency [6][8] Company Overview - Valneva SE is a specialty vaccine company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases, addressing unmet medical needs [2][11] - The company has a strong track record in advancing vaccines from early R&D to approvals and currently markets three proprietary travel vaccines, including IXCHIQ® [11] Vaccine Details - IXCHIQ® is intended for active immunization in individuals aged 18 and older, providing a single-dose immunization against chikungunya virus [4][6] - The pivotal Phase 3 study published in The Lancet demonstrated a 98.9% seroresponse rate at 28 days post-vaccination, with 96.3% of participants maintaining this immune response for six months [7][10] Market and Accessibility - Valneva is collaborating with CEPI and Instituto Butantan to enhance vaccine accessibility in low- and middle-income countries, with funding of up to $24.6 million from the European Union's Horizon 2020 program [8][9] - The chikungunya virus has been identified in over 110 countries, with more than 3.7 million cases reported in the Americas between 2013 and 2023, indicating a significant public health concern [10]