What Vaxxel does

Vaxxel is a French preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing a proprietary live-attenuated viral vaccine platform branded METAVAC®. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Villeurbanne (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), the company is built around an HMPV-based vaccine vector using the clinical strain C-85473, attenuated through non-reversible deletion of the SH gene. The platform is described as versatile and supports the inclusion of additional respiratory virus antigens, enabling multivalent candidates.

The lead asset, METAVAC® RSV-HMPV, is a bivalent intranasal live-attenuated vaccine designed to protect against both Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), the two leading causes of bronchiolitis and viral pneumonia in young children and older adults. The candidate is produced on a GMP-grade Vero cell line, has demonstrated preclinical protection against lethal HMPV and RSV challenges in mice and (independently, via an NIAID-funded study) in cotton rats, with six-month stability at 4°C and confirmed genomic stability after ten passages. Preclinical results have been published twice in npj Vaccines (2024 and 2025), and the company is raising €8 million to enter Phase I clinical trials planned for Q3 2025.

Vaxxel is pre-revenue with no commercial product and operates a licensing-oriented business model targeting two patient populations: children under 5 (46 million addressable in EU+US) and adults over 65 (151 million addressable in EU+US). The company monetizes through a planned one-time license / vaccine product sales model once regulatory approval is secured. To date it has raised €1.2 million in seed funding (March 2022) from BpiFrance, Angels Santé, Femmes Business Angels, family offices, and individual investors, and relies on an academic-industrial collaboration network spanning Université Laval, Université Claude Bernard, INSERM, NIAID/NIH, and Sigmovir Biosystems. Leadership combines executives with prior vaccine-industry experience at Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, Chiron Vaccines, Baxter, and Merck Serono.

Name

Vaxxel

Legal name

VAXXEL

Website

https://vaxxel.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vaxxel is a French preclinical-stage biotech developing the proprietary METAVAC® HMPV-based live-attenuated vaccine platform. Its lead candidate, METAVAC® RSV-HMPV, is a bivalent intranasal vaccine targeting respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus in children and older adults.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Viral Vaccines

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Vaccine Technology Platforms (mRNA, viral vector, protein subunit, inactivated/live-attenuated, VLP, DNA) (HLAAAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Prophylactic Human Vaccines (routine, pediatric, adult) (HLAAAEAA)

Keywords

• Intranasal vaccines
• Live-attenuated vaccines
• RSV vaccine
• HMPV vaccine
• Respiratory virus vaccines

Headquarters

HQ city

Villeurbanne

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Vaccine Product Sales: Pre-revenue company. Planned revenue from sales of METAVAC® RSV-HMPV bivalent intranasal vaccine targeting children and older adults against RSV and HMPV infections. Target market size >$5bn with expected peak sales of 1.7m€.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Vaxxel is a preclinical-stage French biotech developing intranasal live-attenuated vaccine candidates built on its proprietary METAVAC® platform. Its lead candidate, METAVAC® RSV-HMPV, is a bivalent needle-free vaccine designed to protect against both Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) for children under 5 and adults over 65. The vaccine is produced on a GMP-grade Vero cell line and is advancing toward Phase I clinical trials.

Product overview

Vaxxel is a French biotech company developing a vaccine pipeline centered around its proprietary METAVAC® live-attenuated viral vaccine platform. The lead candidate is Metavac® RSV-HMPV, a bivalent intranasal vaccine designed to protect against both Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV). The vaccine candidate has demonstrated preclinical proof-of-concept in animal models and is advancing toward Phase I clinical trials, with a target market exceeding $5 billion covering children and older adults in the EU and US.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Metavac®: Proprietary viral vaccine platform based on HMPV strain C-85473 with non-reversible functional attenuation through SH gene deletion
• Metavac®-RSV

Products and services

• METAVAC® RSV-HMPV A bivalent intranasal live-attenuated vaccine candidate based on the METAVAC® platform, designed to protect against both Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) — the leading causes of bronchiolitis and viral pneumonia. Produced on a GMP-grade Vero cell line with needle-free intranasal administration, targeting children under 5 and adults over 65 in the EU and US.

Quantifiable outcome

• Preclinical efficacy validated in two independent animal models (mice and cotton rats) with full protection against hMPV and RSV
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sigmovir Biosystems, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerContract research organization that independently performed in vivo testing in cotton rats for Metavac®-RSV efficacy validation. Testing was funded by NIAID under contract #HHSN272201700028I/75N93023F00001.
• Université Laval (Québec, Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in RESPIVIR France-Canada International Research Laboratory. Contributed to preclinical development and validation of Metavac®-RSV vaccine candidate.
• Université Claude Bernard (Lyon, France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in RESPIVIR France-Canada International Research Laboratory. Home to VirPath University lab and Virnext research group that contributed to vaccine development.
• INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench national institute for health and medical research. Dr. Manuel Rosa-Calatrava serves as Research Director at INSERM and Deputy head of VirPath University lab.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Bavarian Nordic: Bavarian Nordic is developing an RSV vaccine candidate and has scaled commercial vaccine manufacturing capabilities. It is comparable as an emerging-to-mid-stage vaccine developer focused on respiratory viral targets with similar scale to Vaxxel's post-Phase I profile.
• Codagenix: Codagenix develops live-attenuated viral vaccines using codon-deoptimization technology, with RSV and other respiratory virus candidates. Highly comparable platform-level technology alignment with Vaxxel's live-attenuated viral vaccine approach.

Broad incumbents

• Novavax: Novavax is developing a recombinant RSV vaccine (ResVax historically) targeting maternal and pediatric populations. Comparable as an established vaccine developer pursuing RSV with a different platform (protein nanoparticle vs Vaxxel's LAV).
• Merck & Co. Merck (via legacy Merck Serono where Vaxxel's CEO Denis Cavert was BU Director) is a major vaccine player with growing respiratory franchise interest. As a Big Pharma incumbent with deep RSV/vaccine R&D, it is comparable as a likely strategic counterparty.
• Johnson & Johnson (Janssen): Janssen has historically pursued RSV vaccine development through non-replicating adenovirus platforms and is a relevant incumbent comparable in target indication and major-pharma R&D depth, though currently less active in RSV than Pfizer/GSK/Moderna.
• Pfizer: Pfizer markets Abrysvo, the first approved RSV vaccine for older adults and maternal immunization, and previously acquired ReViral for RSV antivirals. Pfizer is a direct competitor in the RSV vaccine space and a likely potential acquirer of Vaxxel given Bernard Fritzell's prior Pfizer role.
• Sanofi: Sanofi is developing competing RSV vaccine candidates and has deep vaccine franchise via Sanofi Pasteur. Several Vaxxel team members (Bernard Fritzell, Bernard Fanget) have prior Sanofi Pasteur leadership, making Sanofi a logical strategic acquirer for Vaxxel.
• GSK: GSK markets Arexvy, the first approved RSV vaccine for older adults, and acquired Affinivax to expand its respiratory vaccine portfolio. GSK is a major competitor for RSV and a potential strategic acquirer for HMPV exposure.

Direct peers

• Moderna: Moderna is developing mRNA-1083, a bivalent RSV+HMPV vaccine candidate in clinical trials — directly comparable to Vaxxel's METAVAC®-RSV-HMPV in target indication, antigen combination, and population. It is the most direct competitive threat to Vaxxel's bivalent thesis, though using mRNA rather than a live-attenuated platform.
• Meissa Vaccines: Meissa Vaccines develops intranasal live-attenuated RSV vaccine candidates, sharing Vaxxel's intranasal LAV approach and pediatric RSV focus. Closely comparable in mechanism, delivery route, and target indication, making it the most direct intranasal-LAV peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vaxxel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vaxxel