India has approved its first dengue vaccine, with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granting market authorisation to vaccine QDENGA, developed by Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India. According to Takeda, the approval marks a major step in India’s fight against dengue, a mosquito-borne disease that affects millions of people every year.
It added that the vaccine is approved for people aged 4 to 60 years and can be given regardless of whether a person has previously been infected with dengue. Unlike some dengue vaccines, QDENGA does not require pre-vaccination screening, allowing eligible individuals to receive the vaccine without first being tested for past dengue infection.
The approval comes as India continues to shoulder one of the world’s highest dengue burdens, with cases increasing sharply over the past two decades due to urbanisation, climate change, changing mosquito habitats and population growth.
QDENGA is a live-attenuated tetravalent vaccine, meaning it is designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes (DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4). The vaccine has already been approved in more than 40 countries, including the European Union, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Indonesia and Argentina.
India now joins that list at a time when dengue is emerging as one of the country’s biggest seasonal public health threats. The Company said, QDENGA has also received WHO prequalification, confirming that it meets international standards for quality, safety and effectiveness.
This also makes the vaccine eligible for procurement by global agencies such as UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that poses a significant global public health threat, with prevalence in over 125 countries. India accounts for nearly one-third of the global dengue burden.
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