Valneva Completes Enrollment For Adolescent Phase 3 Trial Of Single-Shot Chikungunya Vaccine Candidate

Author: Happy Mohamed | February 14, 2023 02:09am

Valneva SE (NASDAQ:VALN, PARIS:VLA), a specialty vaccine company, today announced that it completed enrollment and vaccination for a Phase 3 trial in adolescents, VLA1553-321, of its single-shot chikungunya vaccine candidate, VLA1553. First results of the trial are expected mid-2023.

Funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the VLA1553-321 adolescent trial is intended to support the label extension in this age group following a potential initial regulatory approval in adults from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the United States (U.S).

Valneva completed rolling submission of the Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. FDA for approval of VLA1553 in persons aged 18 years and above in December 20221. If BLA filing is accepted and approved, VLA1553 could become the first chikungunya vaccine to be marketed in the U.S. Valneva reported final pivotal Phase 3 data for VLA1553 in March 20222 and final lot-to-lot consistency results in May 20223. The Company also recently reported positive antibody persistence data with a 99% seroresponse rate 12 months after a single-dose vaccination4.

The VLA1553-321 adolescent trial is also expected to support licensure of the vaccine in Europe and Brazil, which would be the first potential approval for use in endemic populations.

Conducted in collaboration between Instituto Butantan and Valneva, VLA1553-321 is a double-blinded, multi-center, randomized and placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial. 754 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years were vaccinated following randomization at a 2:1 ratio to receive either VLA1553 or placebo. The primary objective of the trial is to evaluate safety and immunogenicity 28 days following a single vaccination with VLA1553. Participants will be evaluated for the primary endpoint and followed up to twelve months. The study will also provide the first systematic safety and immunogenicity data in participants previously exposed to chikungunya.

Juan Carlos Jaramillo, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, commented, "Recruitment completion in this study is an important milestone for the overall program. We reported compelling pivotal Phase 3 results in adults and in the elderly, and we are now looking forward to obtaining results in adolescents later this year. Chikungunya virus is a major, growing public health threat which has already impacted over 100 countries and affected millions worldwide, yet no vaccine or specific treatment is currently available to prevent this debilitating disease."

Dr. Esper Georges Kallas, President of Instituto Butantan, which will develop, manufacture and market VLA1553 in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, commented, "the achievement of this goal is a major milestone to expand the vaccine indication in adolescents. Based on a single-dose schedule, the VLA1553 chikungunya vaccine could become a key tool to prevent the chikungunya disease in endemics areas and fight the disease-induced public health burden."

Dr. Melanie Saville, Director of Vaccine Research & Development at CEPI, which provided funding for this study, added, "Millions of people have been affected by chikungunya and, today, over a billion people live in areas where chikungunya outbreaks occur. The progress Valneva has made to date brings the world one step closer towards a safe and effective vaccine against this debilitating disease, for which there is currently no specific treatment nor vaccine licenced for human use. Data from this Phase 3 study will help to ensure that the people most affected by this virus can benefit from this product and help regulators assess this important vaccine candidate."

To make VLA1553 more accessible to Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), Valneva and Instituto Butantan in Brazil signed an agreement in January 2021 for the development, manufacturing and marketing of VLA15535. The collaboration falls within the framework of the agreement signed between CEPI and Valneva in July 20196, which provides funding of up to $24.6 million with support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 program.

Brazil had an exponential increase of chikungunya cases in 2021 in comparison to 2020, according to data from the Brazilian Vigilance Health Secretary (SVS). At the beginning of December 2021, 90,147 chikungunya cases had been registered compared to 78,808 over the same period in the previous year. The three states that most registered cases of the disease were Pernambuco (29,700 cases), São Paulo (18,100 cases) and Paraíba (9,000 cases), respectively. In 2021, São Paulo which is the most populous state in the country, went from 468 cases to 18,156 cases compared to 20207.

About Chikungunya

Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a Togaviridae virus, transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. Chikungunya virus often causes sudden large outbreaks with high attack rates, affecting one-third to three-quarters of the population in areas where the virus is circulating. There are no preventive vaccines or effective treatments available and, as such, chikungunya is considered to be a major public health threat. As of September 2020, there were more than 3 million reported cases in the Americas7 and the economic impact is considered to be significant. The medical and economic burden is expected to grow as the CHIKV primary mosquito vectors continue to spread geographically. Infection leads to symptomatic disease in up to 97% of humans after three to seven days following the mosquito bite. While mortality with CHIKV is low, morbidity is high. Clinical symptoms include acute onset of fever, debilitating joint and muscle pain, headache, nausea, rash and chronic arthralgia. It is estimated that over three quarters of the world's population live in areas at-risk of CHIKV transmission8. High risk areas of infection are places where chikungunya virus-carrying mosquitos are currently endemic, including the Americas, parts of Africa, and Southeast Asia.

About VLA1553

VLA1553 is a live-attenuated, single dose investigational vaccine candidate targeting the chikungunya virus, which has spread to over 100 countries. It has been designed by deleting a part of the chikungunya virus genome.

Valneva reported final data from the pivotal Phase 3 trial of VLA1553 in March 20229 and final lot-to-lot consistency results in May 202210.

If approved, VLA1553 would expand Valneva's existing commercial vaccines portfolio and as such, Valneva intends to commercialize this vaccine, leveraging its existing manufacturing and commercial operations.

To make VLA1553 more accessible to Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMIC), Valneva and Instituto Butantan in Brazil signed an agreement in January 2021 for the development, manufacturing and marketing of VLA155311. The collaboration falls within the framework of the agreement signed between CEPI and Valneva in July 201912, which provides funding of up to $24.6 million with support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 program.

About Phase 3 study VLA1553-321

VLA1553-321 is a prospective, double-blinded, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled pivotal Phase 3 trial conducted in 754 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old in Brazil. VLA1553 or placebo will be administered as a single intramuscular immunization to participants who will be randomized into two study groups at a 2:1 ratio. The primary objective is to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of the adult dose of VLA1553 28 days following a single vaccination. Secondary objectives of the trial will include assessment of safety and immunogenicity up to twelve months following a single vaccination with VLA1553. The study will also provide safety and immunogenicity data in participants previously exposed to chikungunya.

Additional information, including a detailed description of the study design, eligibility criteria and investigator sites, is available at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04650399).

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