Valneva SE (Nasdaq: VALN; Euronext Paris: VLA), a specialty vaccine company, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will lift the temporary restriction on vaccinating people aged 65 years and above after concluding a thorough review of Valneva’s single-dose chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ® by EMA’s safety committee (PRAC).
The committee initiated its review at the beginning of May following the occurrence of serious side effects mainly in elderly people with several underlying medical conditions. In a press release published today on its website1, EMA underlined that the vaccine is already contraindicated for people with a weakened immune system and concluded that, for people of all ages, IXCHIQ® should be given when there is a significant risk of chikungunya infection and after a careful consideration of the benefits and risks.
Additionally, EMA noted that while most serious side effects occurred in older people, IXCHIQ® is effective at triggering the production of antibodies against the chikungunya virus which may be of particular benefit for older people who are at increased risk of severe chikungunya disease.
IXCHIQ® was authorised in the European Union in June 20242 and, in March 2025, the European Commission granted a label extension in adolescents 12 years of age and older3.
