First Chikungunya Vaccine From Valneva Approved

The world just had its first vaccine for chikungunya. FDA gave the French biotech company a green light to go forward with the vaccines in November.

FDA Approves Valneva SE's Chikungunya Vaccine

Valneva SE, a specialized vaccine manufacturer, declared in a press release that FDA had approved Valneva's single-dose, live-attenuated vaccine, IXCHIQ®, for the prevention of chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-related illness in those 18 years of age and older who are at an elevated risk of exposure.

The fast approval process for this indication is predicated on anti-CHIKV neutralizing antibody titers. Continued approval is reliant on confirmatory studies demonstrating its clinical value.

The approval was a rebound for the company that encountered setbacks in developing COVID-19 vaccines. Valneva persevered and has finally reached a noteworthy accomplishment.

The American health authority gave the corporation permission to introduce its vaccine against chikungunya, a virus carried by tiger mosquitoes. The Valneva team is thrilled about this approval because it marks the beginning of the world's first vaccine against this specific virus.

Thomas Lingelbach, CEO of Valneva, expressed delight in the company's ability to create and obtain approval for a conventional technology vaccine, despite acknowledging the company's late entry into the COVID-19 vaccine market. He conveyed his faith in their abilities and knowledge as vaccination experts. The COVID-19 vaccine's commercial failure notwithstanding, the company's finances are still strong because the majority of its expenses are met by non-refundable payments from governments at the end of contracts. Valneva has also decided to reorganize its governance structure in an effort to improve operations.

The development of the chikungunya vaccine is a significant milestone for Valneva, which will commemorate its tenth anniversary in 2023. It shows the company's tenacity and commitment to advancing world health.

ALSO READ: Chikungunya Virus Facts: Everything to Know About the Mosquito-Borne Viral Disease

What Is Chikungunya?

Chikungunya is a viral illness spread by mosquitoes and brought on by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an RNA virus belonging to the Togaviridae family's alphavirus genus. The word "to become contorted" in the Kimakonde language is the source of the name "chikungunya."

CHIKV was discovered in 1952 in the United Republic of Tanzania, and it was later discovered in other African and Asian nations. The earliest reports of urban outbreaks were made in India in the 1970s and Thailand in 1967. Since 2004, there have been increasingly regular and extensive CHIKV outbreaks. This is partially because the virus has undergone modifications that make it easier for Aedes albopictus mosquitoes to transmit the infection.

The mosquitoes that spread it include Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus, which are also known to carry the dengue and Zika viruses. This kind of mosquito bites most often in the daytime. In containers with standing water, they lay their eggs. Ae. aegypti feeds both indoors and outdoors, depending on the species.

An uninfected mosquito can consume the CHIKV virus when it feeds on a human with the virus circulating in its blood. After that, the virus multiplies in the mosquito over a few days and enters its salivary glands, and when the mosquito bites a human, it can spread to another person. Once more, the virus multiplies in this newly infected individual until it reaches high concentrations in their blood, at which time it can spread to additional mosquitoes and continue the cycle of transmission.