Takeda gains approval in Brazil for Qdenga

Japan’s largest drugmaker Takeda (TYO: 4502) has revealed that its dengue vaccine, Qdenga (dengue tetravalent vaccine [live, attenuated]; TAK-003), is now approved by Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) for the prevention of dengue caused by any of the four virus serotypes that can be found in individuals from four to 60 years of age.

The use of Qdenga should be in accordance with official recommendations of the regulatory agency. Qdenga is the only dengue vaccine approved in Brazil for use in individuals regardless of previous exposure to dengue and without the need for pre-vaccination testing.

Takeda has succeeded in the dengue space where others have failed, such as French pharm major Sanofi (Euronext: SAN) with its Dengvaxia vaccine imploding amid a public health scandal about its safety in late 2017. Qdenga has also received approval in Europe, the UK and Indonesia.