Valneva(US:VALN) Globenewswire·2026-02-03 06:00Core Insights - Valneva SE and Instituto Butantan have initiated a Pilot Vaccination Strategy (PVS) in Brazil for Valneva's chikungunya vaccine, IXCHIQ®, aimed at generating real-world evidence on its effectiveness and safety [1][2] Group 1: Pilot Vaccination Strategy - The PVS will be implemented in ten Brazilian municipalities selected based on epidemiological and operational criteria, targeting adults aged 18 to 59 years with a goal of achieving 20% to 40% vaccine coverage [2] - Valneva will donate up to 500,000 doses of IXCHIQ® to the Brazilian Ministry of Health for the program [2] - IXCHIQ® received marketing approval in Brazil in April 2025, marking the first approval of a chikungunya vaccine in an endemic country [2] Group 2: Public Health Context - Brazil has reported over one million chikungunya cases from January 2019 to July 2024, including 263,502 cases in 2024, resulting in 246 deaths [3] - The World Health Organization has called for urgent action to prevent a potential major chikungunya epidemic globally [3] Group 3: Collaboration and Support - Valneva and Instituto Butantan signed an agreement in January 2021 for the technology transfer of the chikungunya vaccine, which will be developed and commercialized in Latin America [4] - This collaboration is supported by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the European Union [4]