Takeda begins Phase III dengue vaccine trial
pharmafile | September 8, 2016 | News story | Research and Development | Takeda, Vaccine, dengue, dengue vaccine, phase III, trial
Takeda Pharmaceuticals has announced the initiation of a global Phase III clinical trial to test its live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate (TAK-003) on around 20,000 healthy children between the ages of four and 16 living in dengue-epidemic countries in Latin America and Asia.
According to figures from the World Health Organisation, dengue is the fastest spreading mosquito-borne viral disease. It causes 390 million infections and more than 20,000 deaths each year around the world in people of all ages.
The TIDES Phase III trial will evaluate the efficacy of the vaccine to protect subjects against symptomatic dengue fever caused by any of the four dengue virus subtypes, regardless of age and whether the individual has had previous exposure to the virus.
Rajeev Venkayya, president of the global vaccine business unit at Takeda, says: “The initiation of Phase III trials for our dengue vaccine candidate is a critical milestone, bringing us closer to delivering a vaccine that can address unmet needs in dengue prevention.”
Duane Gulber, professor emeritus at Duke-NUS Medical School, adds: “While vector-control are important, effective dengue disease prevention will also require vaccination. An ideal vaccine would have an acceptable safety profile and protect against all four types of the virus in both adults and children, whether or not they have been previously infected with dengue.”
Other companies have looked to widen access to dengue vaccines this year, including Sanofi who launched the first public dengue immunisation programme in the Philippines.
Sean Murray
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