India approves Takeda dengue vaccine for first time

India has approved its first dengue vaccine, authorising the use of Japanese drugmaker Takeda's Qdenga jab, the health ministry said on Tuesday.

India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation approved the vaccine for people aged four to 60 after reviewing its quality, safety and efficacy, the ministry said. The ministry said the vaccine is intended to prevent dengue disease in that age group.

Qdenga is given in two injections, three months apart. The vaccine protects against all four dengue virus serotypes and is approved in 42 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Indonesia. It has also received World Health Organization prequalification.

Takeda has a collaboration with Indian vaccine maker Biological E that is intended to expand manufacturing of the vaccine. The Indian health ministry said more than 24 million doses have been distributed worldwide, with no major safety concerns reported so far.

Dengue can cause severe flu-like symptoms and debilitating body aches. The source said dengue has spread rapidly in recent decades because of urbanisation, climate change and changing weather patterns. According to the WHO, nearly half of the world's population is at risk, with an estimated 100 million to 400 million infections each year.

India has reported more than one million dengue cases and at least 1,500 deaths since 2021, according to the latest official data cited in the source.

India is also expected to get its own dengue vaccine candidate, Panacea Biotec's DengiAll, which has entered the final stage of clinical trials. If approved, it would become one of the world's first single-dose dengue vaccines.