Takeda Pharmaceutical's Dengue Vaccine Recommended by WHO Advisory Group

By Denny Jacob

Takeda Pharmaceutical's vaccine to prevent dengue, qdenga, was recommended by a World Health Organization advisory group.

The company, which develops and manufactures pharmaceutical drugs, said WHO's strategic advisory group of experts on immunizations shared the recommendations. WHO will consider the recommendation and update its position paper on dengue vaccines to include final guidance on the use of qdenga, Takeda said.

The recommendation includes calls for the vaccine to be considered being introduced in settings with high dengue disease burden and high transmission intensity, as well as being given to children between the ages of six to 16.

Dengue fever is a common mosquito-borne viral disease. Qdenga is currently available for children and adults in the private market in Europe, Indonesia and Brazil. It will be made available in Argentina and Thailand, Takeda said.

The recommendation for Takeda could prove to be a bright spot in the company's portfolio.

The Japanese company on Monday disclosed plans to voluntarily withdraw exkivity following discussions with the Food and Drug Administration, as well as initiating voluntary withdrawals where the treatment is approved. The decision to withdraw was based on the outcome of a Phase 3 trial that failed to meet its primary endpoint, didn't fulfill confirmatory data requirements of the accelerated approval granted by the FDA or the conditional marketing approvals granted in other countries, Takeda said.

Write to Denny Jacob at denny.jacob@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 03, 2023 17:31 ET (21:31 GMT)

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