Takeda Pharmaceutical to Produce Dengue Fever Vaccine in India

Jiji Press

11:43 JST, February 28, 2024

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. said Tuesday that it will begin production of a dengue fever vaccine in India, at a time when the infectious disease is spreading around the world.

Takeda plans to annually produce up to 50 million doses of the Qdenga vaccine in India and boost total annual production capacity for the vaccine to 100 million doses by 2030, including output in Germany.

Production in India is expected to reduce distribution costs and lower prices in Southeast Asian and other counties near the South Asian country.

On Tuesday, Takeda announced a strategic partnership with major Indian drugmaker Biological E. Ltd., including the transfer of technology to manufacture the vaccine.

In Germany, the vaccine is produced in single-dose vials. Meanwhile, the Indian company will produce it in multiple-dose vials to reduce storage and logistics costs.

Dengue fever, an infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes, is currently endemic in more than 100 countries, with an estimated 390 million people infected every year.

Qdenga is the world’s first dengue fever vaccine that does not require prior testing, such as on recipients’ infection history. It is available in Indonesia, Brazil and elsewhere.

As Takeda hopes the vaccine will be used for government-sponsored inoculation programs around the world, it expects increased production to help make the product more accessible.