Valneva SE (NASDAQ:VALN) and Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) have announced positive Phase II immunogenicity and safety data from a second booster dose of the VLA15 Lyme disease vaccine candidate, administered one year after the initial booster dose. Additionally, the companies have partnered to conduct two VLA15 Phase III trials for Lyme disease, which are currently in progress.
There are currently no approved human vaccines for Lyme disease. According to the CDC, approximately 476,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease each year, with 129,000 cases reported annually in Europe.
In a statement, Juan Carlos Jaramillo, M.D., and CMO of Valneva, said, “We are encouraged by these data, which support the potential benefit of booster doses across all examined age groups. As Lyme disease continues to spread, it represents a significant unmet medical need, affecting numerous individuals throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Each new set of positive data brings us one step closer to potentially bringing this vaccine to both adults and children living in areas where Lyme disease is endemic.”
“Personal preventative behaviors are currently the only recommended strategies to help protect yourself from Lyme disease. These data from the VLA15-221 study are an important step towards a potential vaccine that could help prevent the disease and ease the burden of acute, severe, and sometimes persistent consequences,” said Annaliesa Anderson, Ph.D., senior vice president, and head vaccine research development at Pfizer.
