Bavarian Nordic has signed a manufacturing agreement with Serum Institute of India (SII), expanding its strategic partnership through a contract for its chikungunya vaccine (CHIKV VLP).
The contract covers a full technology transfer for the vaccine manufacturing process from Bavarian Nordic to SII, aiming to increase production capacity and future supply for endemic low- and middle-income countries.
The new arrangement builds upon the existing licence and manufacturing partnership between the two companies for the mpox vaccine.
It replaces an earlier deal with Biological E. Both parties will also explore potential co-development opportunities as part of this extended collaboration.
Bavarian Nordic's president and CEO Paul Chaplin said: “We are pleased to strengthen our strategic partnership with Serum Institute of India.
"By leveraging the strengths of both organisations, we can scale manufacturing of our chikungunya vaccine to expand global supply and improve access for populations around the globe.”
The CHIKV VLP vaccine is a prefilled, single-dose, adjuvanted virus-like particle recombinant protein product intended for active immunisation against disease caused by the chikungunya virus in people aged 12 years and above.
It is designed to trigger a strong seroresponse, with protective immunity beginning to develop as soon as one week following vaccination.
As it does not contain viral genetic material, the vaccine is non-infectious and cannot cause disease, making it suitable for a broad population demographic.
Marketed as Vimkunya, CHIKV VLP has received approval from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the European Commission, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2025.
Regulatory review is underway in Canada and Switzerland.
In September 2025, Bavarian Nordic launched its chikungunya vaccine, Vimkunya, in the UK.
The launch followed a significant increase in travel-related disease cases reported nationwide. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) stated that incidences rose by 170% in August 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.
