The FDA has suspended Valneva’s live-attenuated chikungunya vaccine “Ixchiq” after reports of 21 hospitalisations, three deaths, and cases of vaccine-triggered illness, declaring its risks outweigh the benefits.
Yet the move comes just months after approving Bavarian Nordic’s rival vaccine “VIMKUNYA”, which was granted lucrative incentives and now stands as the only U.S. option.
U.S. public health expert Nicholas Hulscher argues this reflects the “Bio-Pharmaceutical Complex” at work, where regulators protect politically aligned companies while sacrificing smaller players. He highlights the glaring double standard: “Ixchiq” was pulled after a handful of severe cases, while COVID-19 mRNA vaccines—linked by critics to far greater harm—remain shielded and promoted, suggesting the FDA’s decision was as much about shaping markets as safeguarding public health.
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