Global Health Press
First dengue vaccine expected to be approved

First dengue vaccine expected to be approved

A French pharmaceutical company says it hopes to have the first vaccine against dengue very soon.

Sanofi Pasteur is finalising tests in Africa and Asia and plans to start producing the vaccine by the end of the year

The mosquito-borne disease affects up to 100 million people a year worldwide, including many Pacific Island countries.

The director of the Pasteur Research Center in New Caledonia, Dominique Baudon, says he expects the outstanding tests to confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine:

“They say they are very optimist and to save time, the manufacturing of the vaccine has been already launched even before they obtain the authorisation to launch it on the market. It’s a bet. So I think that will be confirmed.”

If the first dengue vaccine is approved for release, it could be on the market in New Caledonia in 2015.

Source: Radio New Zealand International