India to Produce Chikungunya Vaccines

Over the decades, Chikungunya cases have been reported in approximately 100 countries. In India, the number of cases of this mosquito-borne disease has varied over time. 

As of mid-March 2026, comprehensive nationwide annual totals are not yet available. However, early reports indicate ongoing activity in India, with a rise in Chikungunya cases, particularly in states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. 

Provisional data for last year shows over 165,000 suspected cases and 95 related fatalities in 2025.

To reduce the number of infections and enhance the local economy, two pharmaceutical companies today announced an innovative agreement.

Bavarian Nordic A/S announced an expansion of the strategic partnership with Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd. (SII) to include a contract manufacturing agreement covering a full tech transfer of the manufacturing process for the Chikungunya vaccine (Vimkunya®, CHIKV VLP) to allow for scaling of capacity to enable future supply to endemic low- and middle-income countries.

"We are pleased to strengthen our strategic partnership with SII. By leveraging the strengths of both organizations, we can scale manufacturing of our chikungunya vaccine to expand global supply and improve access for populations around the globe," said Paul Chaplin, President & CEO of Bavarian Nordic, in a press release.

As of March 11, 2026, this agreement builds on the existing mpox vaccine license and manufacturing agreement with SII and replaces the agreement previously entered into with Biological E. Limited.

This Chikungunya vaccine does not contain viral genetic material and is therefore non-infectious and unable to cause disease, ensuring a broad range of people can benefit from vaccination.

Vimkunya® was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission, and the U.K. Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2025. Regulatory review of the vaccine is ongoing in Switzerland and Canada.

As of March 12, 2026, Vimkunya® is commercially available at various travel vaccine clinics in the U.S. and is recommended for those visiting Chikungunya risk areas, such as India.