Bavarian Nordic Receives Health Canada Approval for Chikungunya Vaccine
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, June 29, 2026 – Bavarian Nordic A/S (OMX: BAVA) today announced that Health Canada has approved VIMKUNYA® (recombinant, adsorbed) for immunization to prevent disease caused by chikungunya virus infection for individuals 12 years of age and older.
The single-dose vaccine is the first virus-like particle (VLP) vaccine approved in Canada for protection against the mosquito-borne chikungunya virus, expanding preventive options for travelers to endemic and outbreak regions.
This marks the fifth regulatory approval of VIMKUNYA, which has also been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Commission, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Swissmedic.
Paul Chaplin, President and CEO of Bavarian Nordic, said: “Health Canada’s approval marks an important milestone in our efforts to expand access to our chikungunya vaccine globally. We are pleased to strengthen preventive options for Canadian travelers with a differentiated single-dose vaccine against a disease that can cause a significant and long-lasting burden.”
About VIMKUNYA® Chikungunya vaccine (recombinant, adsorbed)
VIMKUNYA is a single dose, prefilled, adjuvanted VLP recombinant protein vaccine for active immunization to prevent disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in individuals 12 years and older. It is designed to induce a robust seroresponse, with protective immunity starting to develop as early as one week after vaccination.
The vaccine does not contain viral genetic material and is therefore non-infectious and unable to cause disease, supporting its use across a broad population.
About chikungunya
Chikungunya is a mosquito-borne disease caused by the chikungunya virus. In the past 20 years, the virus has emerged across several regions in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including many popular travel destinations, often causing large unpredictable outbreaks. Since its discovery, chikungunya has been identified in more than 110 countriesi. Chikungunya typically presents with acute symptoms, including fever, rash, fatigue, headache, and often severe and incapacitating joint pain. Most patients recover, but 30-40% of those affected may develop chronic symptoms that can last for months or even yearsii. In 2025, more than 500,000 cases of chikungunya and nearly 200 associated deaths were reported worldwideiii. Recent data suggest that chikungunya is severely underreported and often misdiagnosed as dengue fever due to a similar symptom profileiv.
About Bavarian Nordic
Bavarian Nordic is a global vaccine company with a mission to improve health and save lives through innovative vaccines. We are a preferred supplier of mpox and smallpox vaccines to governments to enhance public health preparedness and have a leading portfolio of travel vaccines. For more information, visit www.bavarian-nordic.com.
Forward-looking statements
This announcement includes forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, future events, performance and/or other information that is not historical information. All such forward-looking statements are expressly qualified by these cautionary statements and any other cautionary statements which may accompany the forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date made, except as required by law.
Contact investors:
Europe: Anders Hjort, Head of Investor Relations, ahjo@bavarian-nordic.com, Tel. +45 33 26 83 83
US: Graham Morrell, Gilmartin Group, graham@gilmartinir.com, Tel: +1 781 686 9600
Contact media:
Nicole Seroff, Vice President Corporate Affairs, nise@bavarian-nordic.com
i World Health Organization (WHO). Chikungunya.https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chikungunya
ii European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Chikungunya virus disease. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/chikungunya-virus-disease.
iii World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Rapid Risk Assessment - Chikungunya virus disease, Global v.1. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/who-rapid-risk-assessment---chikungunya-virus--global-v.1.
iv Ribas Freitas AR, Pinheiro Chagas AA, Siqueira AM, Pamplona de Góes Cavalcanti L. How much of the current serious arbovirus epidemic in Brazil is dengue and how much is chikungunya? Lancet Reg Health Am. 2024 Apr 30;34:100753. doi: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100753. PMID: 38711542; PMCID: PMC11070701.
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