Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, reports that the Mexican authorities have granted marketing authorization to Dengvaxia, making it the first vaccine to be licensed in the world for the prevention of dengue, a mosquito-borne disease causing nearly 400 million infections every year. Dengue is a painful disease that is also known as ‘break bone’ fever due to the bone and joint pain it causes.

The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS) approved Dengvaxia® tetravalent dengue vaccine, for the prevention of disease caused by all four dengue virus serotypes in preadolescents, adolescents and adults, 9 to 45 years of age living in endemic areas.

Regulatory review processes for Dengvaxia are continuing in other endemic countries. Manufacturing of Dengvaxia has already started at vaccine facilities in France and first doses are already produced.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for development of a dengue vaccine as an essential part of the integrated dengue prevention effort needed to significantly lower the dengue burden globally. The WHO has called on endemic countries to reduce dengue mortality by 50% and morbidity by 25% by 2020.

Source: Sanofi