Takeda has said approval of its dengue fever vaccine in Indonesia marks a big step towards the company’s goal of creating a global vaccine business that would compete with larger rivals such as GSK, Sanofi and Merck.
Gary Dubin, president of Takeda’s global vaccine business, said the approval of Qdenga on August 22 is the first achieved outside of Japan by the company for a vaccine and could generate up to $1.6bn in annual sales.
Anticipated approvals by regulators in Europe and elsewhere would make the vaccine a key weapon in the global battle against the mosquito-borne disease that infects up to 400mn people and kills about 20,000 a year, he said.