Valneva and Pfizer see positive Phase II booster results for Lyme disease vaccine

French biotech Valneva (Euronext Paris: VLA) and US pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) announced positive immunogenicity and safety data from their VLA15-221 Phase II study following a second booster vaccination of their Lyme disease vaccine candidate, VLA15, given one year after receiving the first booster dose.

The immune response and safety profile of VLA15 one month after receiving the second booster dose were similar to those reported after receiving the first booster dose, showing compatibility with the anticipated benefit of a booster vaccination prior to each Lyme season. There are currently no approved human vaccines for Lyme disease, and VLA15 is the Lyme disease vaccine candidate which has advanced the furthest along the clinical development timeline, with two Phase III trials in progress.

The companies first joined forces on the development of the vaccine n 2020, when Pfizer paid a $130 million upfront payment, and committed to $35 million in development milestones and $143 million in early commercialization milestones.