Through a collaboration with Indian vaccine manufacturer Biological E, Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical plans to increase production of its dengue vaccine Qdenga, the firms announced on Tuesday.

By 2030, governments in endemic countries will have access to these dosages for use in their national immunisation efforts.

According to the firms, Biological E. will increase its production capacity to 50 million doses annually, speeding up Takeda’s plans to produce 100 million doses annually in less than ten years.
Although Takeda’s vaccine is not authorised for use in India, it is available for both adults and children in nations including Argentina, Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia.

Brazil is implementing emergency measures and mass immunisation against the disease spread by mosquitoes. The country has purchased 5.2 million doses of Qdenga, with an extra 1.32 million doses supplied without charge.

The World Health Organisation reports that since the start of 2023, there has been a global increase in dengue cases, deaths from the disease, and its spread to formerly dengue-free areas.
According to estimates, all six WHO regions have recorded more than five million dengue infections and more than 5,000 deaths related to the disease.

(Adapted from CNBCTV18.com)