Valneva Initiates Phase 1 Trial of Second-Generation Zika Vaccine Candidate

Saint-Herblain (France), March 26, 2024 – Valneva SE (Nasdaq: VALN; Euronext Paris: VLA), a specialty vaccine company, today announced the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial to investigate the

the safety and immunogenicity of VLA1601, its second-generation adjuvanted inactivated vaccine candidate against the Zika virus (ZIKV). There are currently no preventive vaccines or effective treatments available against ZIKV. As such, this mosquito-borne disease remains a public health threat and is included in the Food and Drug Administration’s Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program¹.

The randomized, placebo-controlled, Phase 1 trial, VLA1601-102, is planned to enroll approximately 150 participants aged 18 to 49 years in the United States. Participants will receive a low, medium or high dose of VLA1601. In addition, the low dose of VLA1601 will be evaluated with an additional adjuvant, either the CpG 1018 adjuvant from Dynavax Technologies Corporation or 3M-052-AF adjuvant from the Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI). Topline data from the trial are expected in the first half of 2025.

VLA1601 is being developed on the original manufacturing platform of Valneva’s licensed Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine IXIARO, which was further optimized to develop the Company’s inactivated, adjuvanted COVID-19 vaccine VLA2001, the first COVID-19 vaccine to receive a standard marketing authorization in Europe. Phase 1 results from Valneva’s first-generation Zika vaccine candidate were reported in 2018 showing a favorable safety profile and immunogenicity in all tested doses and schedules².

Juan Carlos Jaramillo M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, said, “Valneva’s commitment to our vision – to live in a world in which no one dies or suffers from a vaccine-preventable disease – fuels our pursuit for preparedness solutions against the Zika virus. As global temperatures rise and rainfall increases, the habitat for disease-carrying mosquitoes expands, presenting an ongoing public health challenge.”

A vaccine against ZIKV would nicely complement Valneva’s portfolio of travel vaccines against mosquito-borne diseases. The Company received U.S. approval for its chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ, the world first and only chikungunya vaccine to address this unmet medical need, in November 2023, and has been commercializing its JE vaccine IXIARO, for over ten years. Some health authorities and scientific leaders in the field have indicated a preference for a purified inactivated vaccine method compared to other vaccine technologies. This preference stems from the understanding that the primary recipients of a Zika vaccine are anticipated to be women of childbearing age, potentially including those who are pregnant.