Valneva to close Nantes facility, centralizing R&D in Vienna following lower sales forecast

FRANCE—French vaccine developer Valneva has announced plans to close its facility in Nantes, reducing its operational footprint in France.

The company will shut down the 3,178-square-meter site, which currently handles both operational tasks and research and development activities, as it redirects its focus to Lyon, where it initially established its operations.

A Valneva spokesperson confirmed to Pharmaceutical Technology via email that the closure will result in 30 job losses.

At the end of 2024, the company employed 713 people across its operations.

The spokesperson emphasized that this decision would stop no research and development work.

Instead, Valneva will centralize its R&D efforts at its Vienna facility, which already conducts the majority of the company’s research activities.

The closure announcement follows Valneva’s financial results for the first nine months of 2025, which revealed mixed performance.

Although the company reported revenue growth during this period, it lowered its full-year sales forecast.

Valneva now projects product sales between €155 million and €170 million (about USD179.7 million to USD197 million), a reduction from its earlier guidance of €170 million to €180 million (USD197 million to USD208 million) issued in the first-quarter report.

A significant factor behind this revised forecast was the US Food and Drug Administration’s ban on Ixchiq, Valneva’s chikungunya vaccine, due to safety concerns.

The FDA suspended the vaccine’s license, preventing its shipment and sale throughout the United States.

This restriction has severely affected Valneva’s travelers’ vaccine segment, forcing the company to adjust its revenue projections.

Valneva has responded to the FDA and currently awaits additional information from the regulatory agency.

Ixchiq represents one of three commercial vaccines in Valneva’s portfolio, alongside Ixiaro/Jespect for Japanese encephalitis and Dukoral for cholera. The company continues to develop these products while navigating regulatory challenges.

On the same day that Valneva announced the closure of its Nantes facility, the company released complete data from a Phase II clinical trial of its Lyme disease vaccine candidate, which it is developing in partnership with Pfizer.

The study demonstrated a strong immune response and a favorable safety profile six months after participants received a third booster dose across all age groups.

If Phase III results prove positive, Pfizer intends to submit regulatory applications to both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency in 2026.

Valneva faces these challenges within an uncertain regulatory environment for vaccines in the United States.

Recent policy reforms and leadership changes under the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have drawn criticism from scientists and public health experts.

Industry analysts anticipate increased volatility in the vaccine sector as the current administration implements its policies.