Takeda Pharmaceuticals in Talks to Release Dengue Vaccines in India

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Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical is in talks with Indian regulators about making its dengue vaccine available in the country, according to Gary Dubin, the drugmaker's global head of vaccines.

"We are in talks with regulators and plan to start a clinical trial very soon," Dubin said.

The Japanese drugmaker intends to increase production of its dengue vaccine Qdenga through a partnership with Indian vaccine maker Biological E., the companies announced earlier today. By 2030, governments in endemic countries will be able to incorporate these vaccines into their national immunisation programmes.

"One of the challenges we have is being able to scale up manufacturing to support what we expect will be a very large global need," Dubin told Reuters, adding that the collaboration is aimed at doubling Takeda's current capacity to manufacture the vaccine.

Biological E. will ramp up its capacity to produce 50 million doses a year, accelerating Takeda's efforts to produce 100 million doses per year within the decade, the companies said. Dubin said Biological E has the technical expertise to manufacture the vaccine.

Takeda's dengue vaccine is available to children and adults in Indonesia, Thailand, Argentina, and Brazil, but it has not been approved for use in India. Brazil has purchased 5.2 million doses of Qdenga, with an additional 1.32 million doses provided at no cost, as the country implements emergency measures and mass vaccinations against the mosquito-borne disease.

According to the World Health Organisation, there has been an increase in dengue cases and deaths reported in endemic areas since the beginning of 2023, with the disease spreading to previously dengue-free areas. According to the global health agency, more than five million dengue cases and over 5,000 deaths have been reported in all six WHO regions.