SINGAPORE:
Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) today announced a strategic partnership with Biological E. Limited, a leading vaccines and biologics company in India, to manufacture Takeda’s dengue vaccine, TAK-003. The partnership marks a crucial step in the fight against the global public health threat of dengue fever, aligning with the disease-specific target set by the World Health Organization (WHO) to achieve zero case-fatality rate due to dengue by 2030[i].
The partnership will substantially enhance manufacturing capabilities to ensure a sustainable global supply of the vaccine. Biological E will scale up its production capacity to potentially reach 50 million doses annually, accelerating Takeda’s efforts to manufacture 100 million doses annually within the decade.
Announcing the partnership at BioAsia 2024, a regional life sciences and healthcare forum organized by the Government of Telangana, Sri Anumula Revanth Reddy, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telangana said, “We are delighted that Hyderabad in Telangana will host the facility where the dengue vaccine, a result of the partnership between Takeda and Biological E., will be manufactured. The state of Telangana offers a conducive R&D and manufacturing environment with a focus on life sciences, particularly vaccines and biologics, and I am delighted that the dengue vaccine production in Hyderabad is aimed at accelerating its access in India and other endemic countries”.
“Leveraging Takeda’s technological expertise and Biological E’s manufacturing capabilities will support greater accessibility and affordability of dengue vaccines, contributing to the nation’s healthcare resilience and future preparedness. We are happy to support this partnership among science, government and industry to drive and scale innovations for universal health coverage,” added Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Minister of Industry & Commerce of Telangana.
“Takeda’s long-term goal for our dengue program has been to make TAK-003 broadly available to those at risk who may benefit from immunization. Within the last year, we’ve successfully launched in private markets, are now launching in some public programs, and working with partners to support a broader public health impact,” said Gary Dubin, M.D., President of the Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda. “We are proud to announce a strategic manufacturing partnership with Biological E. Limited, which has deep expertise in vaccine manufacturing and longstanding support of public health programs around the world. Together, we will help combat dengue on a global scale by significantly increasing manufacturing capacity for multi-dose vials of TAK-003 to drive sustainable access to the vaccine in more endemic countries.”
As the fastest-spreading mosquito-borne viral disease, about half of the world’s population is now at risk of dengue[ii]. In India and Southeast Asia, 1.3 billion people live in dengue-endemic areas, with Thailand, India, and Indonesia among some of the most highly endemic countries[iii]. The recent recommendations made by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunization recommended Takeda’s dengue vaccine for introduction in settings with high dengue burden and high transmission intensity to maximize public health impact.
“This strategic partnership reaffirms our commitment to supplying vaccines to protect the health of people around the world and our efforts to strengthen partnerships in Asia. With vaccine approvals in Thailand, Indonesia, and recently in Malaysia, we are excited for a future where integrated protection against dengue can potentially improve the lives of countless people in India, Southeast Asia and beyond”, said Dion Warren, Head of India and Southeast Asia Multi-country Organisation, at Takeda.
Recently, The Lancet Global Health published long-term exploratory results from Takeda’s pivotal Phase 3 Tetravalent Immunization against Dengue Efficacy Study (TIDES) trial, demonstrating that TAK-003 showed continued protection against dengue fever through four and a half years (54 months) after vaccination. Currently, the vaccine has been approved in more than 30 countries, including the European Union[iv], the United Kingdom[v], Brazil[vi], Argentina[vii], Indonesia[viii], Thailand[ix] and Malaysia[x] for the prevention of dengue by any serotype. Moving forward, Takeda will continue to monitor the long-term data and continue with regulatory filings in more countries to address unmet public health needs.
