A mosquito-borne disease associated with birth defects. Since 1952, Zika outbreaks have been reported in tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and, in 2015, in the Americas. According to the World Health Organization, there is scientific consensus that Zika virus (ZIKV) is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome. There are currently no preventive vaccines or effective treatments available against ZIKV.
VLA1601 – Valneva’s Second-Generation Zika Vaccine Candidate
- VLA1601 is a highly purified inactivated vaccine candidate against the Zika virus.
- It was developed on the original manufacturing platform of Valneva’s licensed Japanese encephalitis 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.
- Valneva initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial to investigate the the safety and immunogenicity of VLA1601 in March 2024.
- In November 2025 positive results of its Phase 1 clinical trial investigating the safety and immunogenicity of VLA1601 were announced. The randomized controlled Phase 1 trial, VLA1601-102, enrolled approximately 150 participants aged 18 to 49 years in the United States.
Additional information about Zika: