Pfizer, Valneva conclude recruitment for Phase 3 trial for Lyme Disease Vaccine candidate VLA15

“We are pleased that the Phase 3 trial recruitment is complete. Lyme disease is the most prevalent vector-borne infectious disease in the United States and Europe, can sometimes even lead to long lasting consequences,” said Annaliesa Anderson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head Vaccine Research and Development, Pfizer. “If approved, a vaccine could prevent the disease and ease the burden of acute, severe and sometimes persistent consequences in both adults and children. We look forward to progressing the trial with the goal of submitting a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2026, subject to positive data.”

Juan Carlos Jaramillo M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Valneva, said, “The completion of enrollment is indeed an important milestone in the development of a potential vaccine for Lyme disease. VLA15 has the potential to address a high need in North America and Europe, as it has been designed to offer coverage for the most common circulating types of Borrelia bacteria that cause Lyme disease in these regions. We’re excited about the ongoing trials and the progress towards potentially offering a vaccine against this disease which can result in debilitating sequelae and excessive healthcare usage.”

The VALOR trial, which was initiated in August 2022, has enrolled 9,437 participants five years of age and older, at sites in areas where Lyme disease is highly endemic across the U.S., Europe and Canada. As part of the primary series, participants receive three doses of VLA15 or a saline placebo (1:1 ratio) within the first year, and one booster dose approximately one year after completion of the primary immunization.

The VLA15 candidate has demonstrated a strong immune response and had a favorable safety profile across all dose and age groups in pre-clinical and clinical trials so far. No vaccine-related serious adverse events (SAEs) and no safety concerns were observed by an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). A second Phase 3 trial (C4601012), aiming to provide further evidence on the safety profile of VLA15 in the pediatric population, is also fully recruited.

The VALOR trial is expected to be concluded by the end of 2025. Pfizer and Valneva entered into a collaboration agreement in April 2020 to co-develop VLA15, with updates to the terms within this agreement made in June 2022.   

Read also: USFDA nod to Pfizer, Astellas Pharma Xtandi for early prostate cancer