Valneva and Instituto Butantan have launched a pilot vaccination campaign in Brazil using the single-shot chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ® to assess real-world effectiveness and safety in endemic regions.
Written By: Sana Khan BPharm
Reviewed By: Pharmacally Editorial Team
Valneva SE and Instituto Butantan have announced the start of a Pilot Vaccination Strategy (PVS) in Brazil using Valneva’s single-dose chikungunya vaccine, IXCHIQ®.
The pilot campaign has been jointly agreed upon by the Brazilian Ministry of Health (MoH) and Instituto Butantan. It will be conducted across ten Brazilian municipalities, selected based on key epidemiological and operational factors. The goal is to evaluate how the vaccine performs in real-world conditions, generating post-marketing evidence on both effectiveness and safety in a large population setting.
Under the current vaccine label in Brazil, the program will invite adults aged 18 to 59 years to participate. Health authorities aim to reach 20% to 40% vaccine coverage within the targeted population.
To support this effort, Valneva, through its partnership with Instituto Butantan, will donate up to 500,000 doses of IXCHIQ® to Brazil’s Ministry of Health.
IXCHIQ® received marketing approval in Brazil from the national regulator ANVISA in April 2025, making it the first chikungunya vaccine approved in an endemic country.
Valneva’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Juan Carlos Jaramillo, emphasized that this pilot strategy reflects the company’s continued commitment to addressing the rising threat of chikungunya worldwide. He highlighted that collecting robust real-world data in regions with active virus transmission remains critical for reinforcing the vaccine’s public health impact.
Instituto Butantan’s Director, Dr. Esper Kallas, noted that the program stems from a rigorous scientific collaboration between Valneva, Butantan, and arbovirus experts. He expressed confidence that the strategy is both scientifically strong and fully aligned with regulatory standards, helping reduce the burden of this serious mosquito-borne disease.
The pilot campaign comes at a time when chikungunya remains a growing global concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently called for urgent action to prevent a potential major epidemic. Brazil has reported the highest number of chikungunya cases worldwide, with over one million cases between 2019 and mid-2024, including more than 263,000 cases in 2024, leading to 246 deaths.
Chikungunya is transmitted primarily through infected Aedes mosquitoes and can cause fever, severe joint pain, fatigue, and long-lasting disability. Joint pain can persist for months or even years, making prevention strategies such as vaccination important, especially as climate change expands mosquito habitats globally.
This pilot vaccination strategy in Brazil may serve as a key model for broader immunization efforts in Latin America and other endemic regions. With Instituto Butantan responsible for future development, manufacturing, and commercialization of the vaccine in the region, the collaboration represents a significant advance in equitable access to protection against chikungunya.
References
Valneva and Instituto Butantan Announce Initiation of a Pilot Vaccination Campaign in Brazil with Single-Shot Chikungunya Vaccine IXCHIQ®, 03 February 2026, https://valneva.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026_02_03_VLA_Butantan_PVS_PR_EN_Final.pdf