News: India approved QDENGA (TAK-003), its first dengue vaccine, amid a rising dengue burden.

About

• QDENGA (TAK-003) is a recombinant, live-attenuated, tetravalent dengue vaccine developed by Takeda.
• Protects against all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 & DENV-4).

Key Highlights

• Approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• Eligible for individuals aged 4–60 years, irrespective of previous dengue infection.
• No pre-vaccination blood test is required.
• Approved under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and Drugs Rules, 1945.

Global Status

• Approved in 40+ countries.
• Has WHO prequalification.
• Over 32 million doses distributed globally.

About Dengue

• A mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the dengue virus (Flavivirus) and transmitted mainly by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
• There are four serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4.
• WHO estimates around 390 million infections annually, with about 96 million symptomatic cases.