Valneva Reports Positive Six-Month Antibody Persistence and Safety Phase 2 Results in Children for its Single-Shot Chikungunya Vaccine IXCHIQ®

Core Insights - Valneva SE announced positive six-month antibody persistence and safety data for its Phase 2 clinical trial of the chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ in children, supporting the initiation of a pivotal Phase 3 study in early 2026 [1][2][8] Company Overview - Valneva is a specialty vaccine company focused on developing, manufacturing, and commercializing vaccines for infectious diseases, with a strong track record in advancing multiple vaccines from early R&D to approvals [10][11] - The company currently markets three proprietary travel vaccines, including the world's first and only chikungunya vaccine, and has a pipeline that includes candidates for Lyme disease, Shigella, and Zika virus [12] Clinical Trial Results - The Phase 2 trial (VLA1553-221) involved 304 healthy children aged one to eleven years, demonstrating that a full dose of the vaccine elicited a more robust immune response compared to a half dose, with a 96.5% seroresponse rate at Day 180 [2][3][8] - The vaccine was well tolerated across all age groups tested, with no safety concerns identified, supporting the selection of the full dose for the upcoming Phase 3 trial [4][5][8] Market Context - Chikungunya poses a significant health risk, particularly in endemic areas, with Brazil reporting over one million cases from January 2019 to July 2024, and India reporting 370,000 cases during the same period [5][7] - The World Health Organization has identified chikungunya as a major public health problem, with the economic impact expected to grow due to climate change and the geographical spread of mosquito vectors [7]