Another Milestone in Dengue Vaccine Development

The World Health Organization (WHO) has greenlit a new dengue vaccine – the second one to be prequalified – to be administered to children aged 6 to 16 living in high-risk areas like Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

“The prequalification of TAK-003 is an important step in the expansion of global access to dengue vaccines,” explains Dr Rogerio Gaspar, WHO Director for Regulation and Prequalification. “With only two dengue vaccines to date prequalified, we look forward to more vaccine developers coming forward for assessment, so that we can ensure vaccines reach all communities who need it.”

The TAK-003 vaccine developed by Takeda is a live-attenuated vaccine that contains weakened versions of all four virus serotypes causing dengue. The vaccine should be administered in a 2-dose schedule with a 3-month interval between doses to children ages 6 and 16. TAK-003 is the second dengue vaccine to be WHO-prequalified after the CYD-TDV vaccine developed by Sanofi Pasteur. The vector-borne disease is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, and complications from the virus are potentially lethal.