Chikungunya Vaccine Developer Discontinues Research

According to reporting by Fierce Biotech, Merck Inc. confirmed on February 2, 2023, that it had discontinued the chikungunya vaccine candidate development program as part of a "routine pipeline prioritization."

While the vaccine candidate completed a phase 2 clinical trial, the study was suspended "due to a clinical stock recovery action," meaning it did not reach its original participant enrollment goal.

Merck's contender V184 was acquired through a $366 million takeover of Themis Inc. in 2020.

The chikungunya vaccine development race is led by Valneva SE, which completed the rolling submission of the VLA1553 vaccine's Biologics License Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2022.

As of February 3, 2023, the FDA has not approved any chikungunya vaccine candidates.

This mosquito-transmitted disease remains a public health risk.

The Pan American Health Organization reported that in 2022, 87 fatalities were associated with chikungunya infections in the Americas last year.

Other chikungunya vaccine candidate news is posted at Vax-Before-Travel.com.