Takeda To Manufacture 50% Of Its Dengue Vaccines In India

Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. announced a strategic partnership with Indian vaccine and biologics company Biological E. Ltd. to manufacture its dengue vaccine, TAK-003.

The Indian partner is expected to "scale up its production capacity to potentially reach 50 million doses annually," the company said in a Feb. 27 release.

This is further expected to accelerate Takeda's efforts to manufacture 100 million doses annually within the decade, indicating that 50% of its planned manufacturing would be from the facility based out of Hyderabad, India.

This announcement comes after the recent recommendations made by the World Health Organisation's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation, which recommended Takeda's dengue vaccine. It is in line with the WHO's disease-specific target of achieving a case-fatality rate of zero for dengue by 2030.

"Takeda's long-term goal for our dengue programme has been to make TAK-003 broadly available to those at risk who may benefit from immunisation," Gary Dubin, president of the Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda, said. "Together, Takeda and Biological E. will help combat dengue on a global scale by significantly increasing manufacturing capacity for multi-dose vials of TAK-003 to drive sustainable access to the vaccine in more endemic countries."

Phase-3 trials indicated that the vaccine showed continued protection against dengue fever through four and a half years (54 months) after vaccination.

A study quoted in the release indicated that 1.3 billion people live in dengue-endemic areas in India and Southeast Asia. The vaccine is currently approved in more than 30 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.

In an exclusive conversation with NDTV Profit, the management said that they are engaged in a dialogue with Indian authorities to allow the launch of the vaccine in India and may start clinical trials soon. No definitive information on launch timelines and pricing was divulged for the Indian market. The vaccine is suitable for both children and adults, the management said.