Now Reading: Qdenga dengue vaccine likely in India by early 2027
-
01
Qdenga dengue vaccine likely in India by early 2027
India's first dengue vaccine Qdenga is expected to be available in the first half of 2027, likely through private healthcare settings, infectious diseases expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya said. The Central Drugs Standard…
The Story in Brief
India's first dengue vaccine Qdenga is expected to be available in the first half of 2027, likely through private healthcare settings, infectious diseases expert Dr Chandrakant Lahariya said. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation granted marketing authorisation in July 2026 after evaluating safety and efficacy. Qdenga is a live, attenuated tetravalent vaccine approved for people aged 4 to 60 years. The immunisation schedule is two doses given three months apart.
Takeda Pharmaceutical, the Japanese manufacturer, confirmed the timeline. The vaccine aims to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes. In 2024, India reported 232,425 dengue cases and 233 deaths, while globally the WHO recorded 14.4 million cases. Doctors say Qdenga can reduce disease severity but is unlikely to stop outbreaks on its own.
The Indian Opinion
Some coverage frames Qdenga as a game-changer, but the reality is modest. It arrives two years after approval, initially only in the private sector and priced too high for most Indians. The vaccine reduces hospitalisations but does not eliminate transmission. The real test will be how many doses reach the vulnerable millions before the next monsoon surge. Are state governments preparing to subsidise or procure it at scale? Without that, the vaccine will remain a privilege, not a solution.
Source: livemint.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
