Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda has announced a strategic partnership with Biological E, 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.

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 organised by the Government of Telangana, Anumula Revanth Reddy, the 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 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.

"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.