LimmaTech and Valneva vaccinate first patient in Phase 2 trial with S4V2

(CONNECT) Schlieren-based LimmaTech Biologics AG and Valneva are working together to develop the S4V2 vaccine against the diarrheal disease Shigella. According to a press release, the first patient has now been vaccinated in a phase 2 trial. Valneva, based in Saint-Herblain, France, has an exclusive worldwide license for the vaccine.

The Phase 2 study S4V02 is testing the safety and immunogenicity of S4V2 in approximately 110 nine-month-old infants to determine the best dose for a Phase 3 study. The S4V02 study, sponsored and conducted by LimmaTech, is a randomized, controlled and blinded study conducted at a single study site in Kenya, the press release states.

Participants receive a double vaccination with one of two different vaccine doses of S4V2 or a control vaccine. Safety will be assessed throughout the study and approximately six months after the last vaccination. The results of the study, which is supported by the Gates Foundation, are expected in the second half of 2025.

Shigellosis is the second most common cause of fatal diarrheal diseases worldwide and contributes significantly to illness and mortality in children. It is estimated that up to 165 million infections are attributable to Shigella, 62.3 million of which occur in children under the age of five, according to the press release.

The start of this Phase 2 study is an important milestone in the collaboration between LimmaTech and Valneva in the fight against shigellosis, according to Patricia Martin, Chief Operating Officer of LimmaTech. "We are encouraged by the potential of S4V2 to provide a solution to a serious global health threat and have a profound impact on protecting the health of so many children worldwide," Martin continued.

LimmaTech Biologics is based in Schlieren and is a member of the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich. ce/gba