Death from dengue fever, which plagues Vietnam and other tropical regions across the globe, may soon be a thing of the past after French drug maker, Sanofi, announced that it had achieved high success rate with a new vaccine developed to combat the disease.
According to Reuters, Sanofi, which has invested more than $1.7 billion and 20 years to develop the vaccine, said “its product reduced disease cases by 60.8 percent in a large final clinical trial.”
Trails had been conducted in Africa, SE Asia and Latin America, mainly among children who are at a higher risk than adults of dying from the dengue fever.
Results differed somewhat by region admitted Nicholas Jackson, head of dengue research and development at Sanofi's vaccines unit Sanofi Pasteur:
"We're talking about different regions, different seasons, different demographics, and it's very important for a vaccine to perform consistently, so these results are extremely pleasing," he told Reuters in an interview.
Though in Asia, the drug is expected to be focused on children, it’s efficacy in reducing the most severe cases of dengue by close to 90 percent may result in wider application, perhaps among tourists.
Chief Executive Chris Viehbacher said in July that Mexico, Brazil and Colombia could be the first to market the vaccine which should be up for sale by the second half of 2015.
Sanofi’s drug will not only help children in developing countries, but also to pad the company’s profits:
“Some analysts believe the three-dose vaccine could bring in 1 billion euros ($1.31 billion) a year, significantly boosting Sanofi's vaccines business, which generated sales of 3.7 billion euros in 2013.”
The vaccine has been tested in Vietnam where the disease infects 50,000 and kills 40 on average each year and has been on the rise in HCMC as of late.
Globally, dengue fever infects up to 528 million and kills 25,000 annually.
The best way to avoid dengue, however, remains avoiding mosquito bites.
[Reuters]
