Prospects for Valneva single-dose chikungunya vaccine Ixchiq

French specialty vaccines developer Valneva’s (Nasdaq: VALN) last week received approval of Ixchiq from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), marking the approval of the world’s first chikungunya virus (CHIKV) vaccine.

According to pharma analytics firm GlobalData, Ixchiq has the potential to mitigate a major public health threat, and prevent millions of cases of chikungunya worldwide.

The firm’s infectious disease analyst, Stephanie Kurdach, commented: “In spite of the significant disease burden, there are currently no treatment options for chikungunya, and prevention has previously relied upon the avoidance of mosquito bites. The approval of Ixchiq therefore addresses an important unmet need and has the potential to benefit millions of lives.”