Green light in the EU. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has given a favorable opinion on the marketing of a vaccine against chikungunya from Valneva, already approved on November 10 in the United States, according to a press release published Monday by the French manufacturer.
At the end of an accelerated examination of 150 days, compared to 210 in ordinary times, the EMA “carried out a technical validation of the marketing authorization application for the single-dose vaccine candidate against chikungunya Valneva’s VLA1553” marketed in the United States under the name Ixchiq, the company said. “In Europe, there is no preventive vaccine or effective treatment against chikungunya, which is therefore considered a major threat to public health,” the press release added. “The vaccine is indicated for the prevention of disease caused by the chikungunya virus in persons aged 18 and over at increased risk of exposure” to the virus, Valneva explains.
It has spread to more than 110 countries
Chikungunya, transmitted by aedes mosquitoes, has spread to more than 110 countries. It is mainly present in tropical regions, particularly in Africa, Southeast Asia and certain regions of the Americas. The virus causes acute fevers, debilitating joint and muscle pain, as well as headaches, nausea, rash and chronic arthralgia.
The global chikungunya vaccine market is estimated to be worth more than $500 million annually by 2032, according to Valneva.