The world’s first approved-for-sale Chikungunya vaccine is finally here! Developed by Valneva, the vaccine named IXCHIQ is a single-dose, live-attenuated vaccine, which means it has been developed using chikungunya virus or bacteria which has been weakened in the laboratory, so it cannot cause chikungunya but equip the immune system to respond vehemently to a fresh infection.
Sharing the good news on their website, IXCHIQ has received the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for use in adults who are 18 years and older.
Valneva Chikungunya Vaccine
The approval follows stringent clinical trials that have established the efficacy of IXCHIQ’s ability to mitigate Chikungunya, a major public health threat. In clinical trials, IXCHIQ demonstrated a 98.9% rate of protective antibodies 28 days post-vaccination, and a 96.3% rate six months post-vaccination.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shared that as of 31st October 2023, almost 4,40,000 cases of chikungunya and over 350 deaths have been reported worldwide. While this mortality rate may be low, symptoms of chikungunya are chronic in a huge chunk of the population and can last for years.
Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease, that exhibits symptoms like fever, severe joint pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash, has been identified in more than 110 countries.
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In light of the huge burden of this life-threatening infection, this new vaccine is a welcome step. Especially considering that up until now, the only treatment and prevention modality that existed against chikungunya is preventing mosquito bites.
That is why the approval and distribution of IXCHIQ has been fast-tracked by the US FDA. Valneva is now also in partnership with Instituto Butantan to continue the chikungunya vaccine’s clinical testing and make it accessible to low- and middle-income countries, where IXCHIQ will be the most advantageous since a single dose of this vaccine is effective enough to prevent chikungunya.
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Hence, in humanity’s fight against chikungunya, the approval of Valneva’s IXCHIQ is a milestone, finally providing a science-backed, laboratory-tested response to equip mankind with the tools to fight this chronic and life-threatening infection, which has symptoms that can last for years.
