LONDON (Dec 8): Japanese company Takeda’s dengue vaccine was authorised for use in the European Union on Thursday, making it the second approved vaccine for the mosquito-borne disease that causes millions of infections annually.

The vaccine, branded QDENGA, is designed for the use of those aged four and older, to prevent any of the four so-called serotypes of dengue.

There are no antivirals or specific treatments for the flu-like viral disease. While the illness is mostly mild, some people can develop life-threatening complications. Between 20,000 to 25,000 people, mostly children, die each year, according to the World Health Organization.

QDENGA follows Sanofi’s Dengvaxia, which was the world’s first dengue vaccine and which secured its first approval in 2015.

The use of the French drugmaker’s vaccine was scaled back considerably, after the company disclosed in 2017 that it increased the risk of severe disease in “seronegative” children - those who had no prior dengue exposure when they got the shot.

Takeda’s vaccine is based on a dengue 2 virus, with DNA from the other three serotypes added in. Data from a pivotal trial has shown that the vaccine can induce immune responses to a varied degree against all four dengue types.

Compared to Dengvaxia, Takeda’s vaccine shows wider protection for young children and people older than 45 years old, EU health regulators said in October, when they recommended authorising QDENGA.

The Takeda vaccine has also been approved in Indonesia, while US regulators are reviewing QDENGA on a priority basis.

Takeda expects its vaccine to generate US$700 million to US$1.6 billion in sales over the course of several years, Gary Dubin, president of Takeda’s global vaccine business, told Reuters earlier this year.

  - Reuters