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Dengue vaccine shows promising results against all serotypes
Recent study results published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases demonstrate that a live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine for those who were not previously exposed to infection was able to increase seropositivity rates against dengue virus types 3 and 4.
The interim phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial also demonstrated that in all exposure circumstances, the vaccine could produce a broad antibody response against all dengue virus types in two doses, with seropositivity ranging from 87% to 100% in the first month. Seropositivity was sustained to the end of the study (6 months, 85%-100%).
The immunogenicity and safety of the tetravalent dengue vaccine (TDV), created by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, were assessed by administering one dose, two doses or a placebo to 1,794 participants between 2 and 17 years old living in the Dominican Republic, Panama and the Philippines.
“The levels of immunogenicity induced by [the vaccine] against all four dengue serotypes, even in seronegative participants, are encouraging because seropositivity after vaccination may be an important measure of vaccine performance,” researcher Xavier Sáez-Llorens, MD, head of Infectious Diseases and director of Clinical Research at the Panama Children’s Hospital, said in a press release. “Infection with one dengue serotype makes subsequent infection with a different serotype a major risk factor for severe disease, hence the need for a safe and effective vaccine that simultaneously protects against all four serotypes.”
Although there is a licensed vaccine against dengue for those 9 years and older, a vaccine for all ages against all four serotypes is “an urgent medical need,” according to the researchers.
“A vaccine that generates humoral and cellular immunity and shows measurable seropositivity to all dengue serotypes in most individuals, even those without previous exposure to dengue, suggests that such a vaccine is suitable for assessment in a large-scale efficacy trial,” Sáez-Llorens and colleagues wrote. “The dosing schedule chosen for this trial should generate multivalent responses in the highest proportion of individuals who were initially seronegative.”
Takeda Pharmaceuticals recently completed enrollment for the phase 3 clinical trial –Tetravalent Immunization against Dengue Efficacy Study (TIDES) – of its dengue vaccine candidate, including more than 20,000 children aged 4 to 16 years from 8 dengue-endemic countries. — by Katherine Bortz
Disclosure: Tricou, Sáez-Llorens, Garbes, Borkowski and Wallace are employed by Takeda Vaccines. X. Sáez-Llorens, D. Yu and L. Rivera received funds to their organizations from Takeda Vaccines to support their work in this trial.
