World's first chikungunya vaccine has received FDA approval. Check what report states?

According to an APF report, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the world's first vaccine targeting chikungunya, a virus transmitted by infected mosquitos, on November 9. The move comes after the US Food and Drug Administration named chikungunya a "emerging global health threat."

The vaccine, developed by Valneva in Europe, will be distributed as Ixchiq. According to the FDA, the company has obtained approval for people aged 18 and up, an age group that faces an increased risk of exposure.

Vaccine contains weakened strain of virus

As with other vaccines, Ixchiq is given as a single dose and contains a live but weakened strain of the chikungunya virus. 3,500 participants in two clinical trials conducted in North America reported typical side effects, including headache, fatigue, fever, nausea, and pain in the muscles and joints. Two of the 1.6 percent of recipients who experienced serious reactions needed to be hospitalized.

Valneva has also applied to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for authorization. The vaccine's release is expected to accelerate with US FDA approval, especially in nations where the chikungunya virus is widespread.

More than 5 Million cases of Chikangunya

The virus, which causes fever and severe joint pain, is common in tropical and subtropical Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of the Americas. According to the report, the FDA underlined the worldwide increase in chikungunya cases, reporting more than 5 million cases in the last 15 years.

Deaths from chikungunya are uncommon, but symptoms can last for months or even years. There isn't currently a specific medication for treating chikungunya; instead, pain and fever-relieving drugs are the usual treatments. Up until now, avoiding mosquito bites has been the main preventive measure.

98% efficacy, according to study

A clinical study on the vaccine, which was published in The Lancet earlier on June 12, stated that the vaccine showed "highly protective" outcomes in its Phase III human trial. It reported that participants showed an impressive 98.9% response rate to the vaccine 28 days after a single administration.

Based on the La Reunion chikungunya strain, namely the East Central South African genotype, is the live-attenuated vaccine, VLA1553. The study findings indicate that 99 percent of participants (263/266) of the vaccine candidate exhibited an immune response and was generally well tolerated.

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The lead author of the paper and clinical strategy manager at Valneva, Martina Schneider, had then mentioned that this might be the first candidate vaccine for the chikungunya virus for active immunization of visitors and residents of endemic areas or areas at risk of an impending outbreak.

A live-attenuated vaccine should have good antibody persistence, she added, considering the disease's unpredictable epidemiology.

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