VBI Vaccines and Valneva partner to distribute hep B vaccine in Europe

French vaccines developer Valneva (Euronext Paris: VLA) and USA-based VBI Vaccines (Nasdaq: VBIV) today announced a partnership in select European markets for the marketing and distribution of PreHevbri [hepatitis B vaccine (recombinant, adsorbed)], the only 3-antigen hepatitis B vaccine approved in Europe.

Under the terms of the agreement, specialty vaccine company Valneva will promote and distribute PreHevbri throughout select European countries, which initially include the UK, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Valneva and VBI expect PreHevbri to be available in these countries in early 2023.

To meet the WHO’s goal of hep B eradication by 2030, key interventions must be scaled up, including comprehensive hepatitis B vaccination. VBI launched its preventative HBV vaccine in the USA earlier this year, and received European Commission and UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approvals in April and May 2022, respectively. Valneva will utilize its commercial knowledge, experience, and relationships to help VBI ensure that PreHevbri reaches as extensive of a market as possible in Europe.