- Drug makers Serum Institute of India and Panacea Biotec are moving closer to develop the country’s first vaccine against dengue.
- They have applied to the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) call for ‘Expression of Interest’ for collaborative Phase-III clinical trials for indigenous manufacturers.
- Phase-III clinical trial is being done for evaluation of efficacy, along with safety and immunogenicity of tetravalent dengue vaccine.
- The desirable characteristics of a dengue vaccine includes:
- Acceptable short and long-term safety profile (no antibody dependent enhancement).
- Inducing protection against all four serotypes of dengue.
- Reducing risk of severe diseases and deaths.
- Inducing a sustained immune response and effectiveness irrespective of the earlier sero-status and age of the individual.
The risk posed by Dengue:
- The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically with about half of the world’s population now at risk.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified dengue to be one among the top ten global health threats in 2019.
- As of now, there is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop effective vaccines against dengue viral disease.
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB