Philippines gives nod to Sanofi Pasteur’s dengue vaccine, India are you listening?

The Philippines’ Food and Drug Administration approved Sanofi Pasteur’s Dengvaxia, the tetravalent dengue vaccine, which will prevent the disease caused by all four dengue types in individuals from 9-45 years of age living in endemic areas.

This made Dengvaxia the first vaccine to be licensed for the prevention of dengue in Asia.

“Approval of the first dengue vaccine in Asia, which bears 70% of global disease burden, is a major milestone in dengue prevention and public health,” said Olivier Charmeil, President and CEO of Sanofi Pasteur.

Dengue fever burden in Asia continues to be the highest globally with an estimated 67 million people being sickened by the dengue annually.

Asian endemic countries spend an estimated 6.5 billion USD annually in both direct medical and indirect costs due to dengue.

“Vaccination is widely accepted as one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like dengue. The approval of Dengvaxia, the world’s first dengue vaccine, in the Philippines will be a critical addition to the ongoing public education and vector control efforts currently directed towards dengue prevention in our country,” said Dr. May Book Montellano, President, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), dengue is the fastest growing mosquito-borne disease in the world today, causing nearly 400 million infections every year.