The FDA and CDC recommended a pause in administering Ixchiq, a chikungunya vaccine, in adults ages 60 and above after 17 serious adverse events, including two deaths.
About 80,000 Ixchiq doses have been distributed globally, according to a May 12 statement from the federal regulatory agencies. In February, the CDC launched an investigation into the vaccine’s safety after five older adults experienced cardiac or neurologic events and were hospitalized after inoculation.
The FDA approved Ixchiq as the first chikungunya vaccine in 2023. The vaccine includes a live, weakened version of the virus “and may cause symptoms similar to those of chikungunya disease,” the FDA and CDC said.
As of May 7, 17 adverse events have been reported among individuals ages 62 to 89, and some of the events are consistent with severe complications of chikungunya disease. One person died from encephalitis, or brain inflammation.
The FDA is conducting an updated benefit-risk assessment for Ixchiq in people ages 60 and older.
