India can have a dengue vaccine as soon as next year. The Japanese pharma giant Takeda has developed the vaccine, branded ‘Qdenga’, and it will be introduced in India through Hyderabad-based Bio E (Bio E). Qdenga will protect against all four serotypes of the dengue virus and will require two doses India can now look forward to a significant jump in its fight against dengue, with a ‘Made in India’ version of the vaccine ‘Qdenga’ likely to hit the market as early as next year.
The vaccine, whose development was begun by Japanese drugs firm Takeda, will be produced in India through a partnership with Hyderabad company Biological E. According to The Times of India report, the vaccine is most likely to reach the market within 2026 under the country’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.
India has seen a worrying rise in dengue cases over the last few years, with more hospitalizations and deaths. In 2023, there were almost 3 lakh cases registered in the country, the highest in the last 5 years, according to the data shared by the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control.
Dengue fever is a virus that is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. There are four distinct strains of the virus — DENV-1 through DENV-4 — that have for years made creating an effective vaccine especially difficult.
Enter Qdenga, also referred to as TAK-003. It is a live-attenuated vaccine made up of attenuated forms of all four dengue virus serotypes and is constructed to provide wide protection. Two doses are administered three months apart.
