Dengue now in all states, 2 vaccines may be in the offing

The Indian Council of Medical Research has tied up with two biotech companies – Panacea and Serum Institute of India – to conduct a phase III trial of their dengue vaccines. Panacea is likely to start the third phase trial by August or September.

Dengue has been expanding its footprints across the country over the last two decades due to climate change, increased urbanisation. (Representational Photo)

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With two cases of dengue reported from Ladakh in 2022, the mosquito-borne viral infection has spread to all Indian states and Union Territories. The infection geography has increased over the last two decades from just eight states and Union Territories in 2001 to all at present. Dengue has been expanding its footprints across the country over the last two decades due to climate change, increased urbanisation where environments are temperature controlled, and rapid urbanisation leading to shortage of utilities like running water.

The Indian Council of Medical Research has tied up with two biotech companies – Panacea and Serum Institute of India – to conduct phase III trial of their dengue vaccines. Both the vaccines are based on a DNA-edited dengue virus developed by the US National Institute of Health.

Serum Institute is yet to conduct a phase I/II trial in 60 adults to determine their safety after which it will conduct a largescale study with the help of ICMR in children between the ages of 2 and 18 years. Panacea, on the other hand, has already completed a first and second phase study in 100 healthy adults between 18 and 60 years of age and is likely to start the large third phase trial by August or September after it scales up its manufacturing capability. The trial will be conducted across 20 sites in the country enrolling 10,335 healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 80 years.

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“One of the indigenously developed dengue vaccine at one of the government laboratories is stuck in the development process because its exclusive rights were sold to a pharma company and it is yet to take up trials for it,” said the head of virology at ICMR Dr Nivedita Gupta while explaining about the vaccine development process for dengue. Only one vaccine – called Dengvaxia – had been introduced in Brazil and the Philippines and was later withdrawn when it was seen that it led to more severe disease on later exposure in people whose first exposure is through the vaccine and not natural infection.

There has also been an increase in the spread of the infection to the rural areas – with rural India accounting for up to 45 per cent cases by 2021 up from 32 per cent in 2015, according to data presented at a conference on dengue control, prevention, and treatment at the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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