Dengue on steady rise, ICMR set to conduct vaccine trial
The ICMR, the country’s apex agency for formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, has tied up with two biotech companies — Panacea and Serum Institute of India (SII) — to conduct phase-III trials of their dengue vaccines.
Both vaccine candidates are based on a DNA-edited dengue virus developed by the US National Institute of Health.
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With a steady increase in cases of dengue across the country — from being restricted to only eight states and Union Territories in 2001 it is prevalent in all states states and UTs at present — the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has raised its efforts to develop a vaccine to fight the mosquito-borne infection.
The ICMR, the country’s apex agency for formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, has tied up with two biotech companies — Panacea and Serum Institute of India (SII) — to conduct phase-III trials of their dengue vaccines.
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Both vaccine candidates are based on a DNA-edited dengue virus developed by the US National Institute of Health.
The SII is yet to conduct a phase-I/II trial in 60 adults to determine safety, after which it will conduct a large-scale study with the help of ICMR in children between 2 and 18 years.
Panacea has completed phase-I/II study in 100 healthy adults between 18 and 60 years and is likely to start the phase-III trial by August or September 2023 after scaling up manufacturing capability. The trial will be conducted in 20 sites across India, enrolling 10,335 healthy adults between 18 and 80 years.
Explained
Why it is spreading in India
Dengue is expanding its footprint across the country over the last two decades due to climate change, increased urbanisation with temperature-controlled environment, and rapid urbanisation leading to shortage of utilities such as running water.
“One of the indigenously developed dengue vaccines 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,” Dr Nivedita Gupta, head of virology at ICMR, said.
Rural India now accounts for up to 45% cases as of 2021 — up from 32% in 2015.
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