Valneva SE, the specialty vaccine company, and the Serum Institute of India (SII) have announced they have mutually agreed to discontinue their license agreement for Valneva’s single-shot chikungunya vaccine.

 

Valneva said regaining full rights to the vaccine will allow the company to “assume direct control over its supply chain and commercialization for endemic high-risk countries, thereby accelerating access for regions most affected by the disease.”

 

The move aligns with Valneva’s commitment to supporting low- and middle-income countries, as part of the funding agreement it signed with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) in July 2024, co-funded by the European Union.

 

Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne virus spread by Aedes mosquitoes, causes fever, severe joint and muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. Joint pain can be debilitating and persist for weeks to years. 

 

Since re-emerging in 2004, the virus has spread to over 110 countries across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Between 2013 and 2023, more than 3.7 million cases were reported in the Americas, with a growing economic and medical impact expected due to climate-driven expansion of the mosquito vectors. The World Health Organization has flagged chikungunya as a major public health threat.

 

Valneva, which develops, manufactures, and commercializes prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases, has a proven track record advancing vaccines from early R&D to market. 

 

The company currently sells three proprietary travel vaccines and continues to develop a pipeline that includes the only Lyme disease vaccine candidate in advanced clinical development, partnered with Pfizer, as well as the world’s most clinically advanced Shigella vaccine.