World’s first dengue vaccine gets nod after 20 years of research

The Mexican drug authorities have approved Sanofi Pasteur’s first ever dengue vaccine Dengaxia, which promises to reduce the disease burden by 50 percent in five years among vulnerable populations. “The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) has approved Dengaxia, tetravalent dengue vaccine, for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue virus serotypes in preadolescents, adolescents and adults, 9 to 45 years of age living in endemic areas,” said Sanofi Pasteur in a press statement. The French vaccine maker has applied for regulatory approval in countries where the disease is endemic, however it did not specify the countries where it has applied for a marketing license. India though has participated in the trial which showed that dengue vaccine after three doses was well tolerated and produced antibodies against all four dengue serotypes. “There were no cases of severe dengue reported, no deaths and no related serious adverse events reported...