BRIEF—Takeda's Dengue vaccine backed by WHO advisory group

5 October 2023

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda revealed that the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization has recommended the use of its Qdenga (dengue tetravalent vaccine [live, attenuated]; TAK-003).

In the coming months, the WHO will consider the SAGE recommendation and update its position paper on dengue vaccines to include final guidance on the use of Qdenga in public vaccination programs.

The SAGE made the following recommendations:

The vaccine to be considered for introduction in settings with high dengue disease burden and high transmission intensity to maximize the public health impact and minimize any potential risk in seronegative persons.
The vaccine to be introduced to children aged six to 16 years of age. Within this age range, the vaccine should be introduced about one-two years prior to the age-specific peak incidence of dengue-related hospitalizations. The vaccine should be administered in a two-dose schedule with a three-month interval between doses.
The vaccine introduction should be accompanied by a well-designed communication strategy and community engagement.

Qdenga is currently available for children and adults in the private market in countries in Europe, Indonesia and Brazil, and will be available in Argentina and Thailand soon.