During his visit to Asia with a stop at Việt Nam in September, Dr. Derek Wallace, President of Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda and one of the key leaders of the vaccine’s development, shared insights into the research and production journey of this dengue vaccine designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes.

Dr. Derek Wallace - President of Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda. — Photo Courtesy of Takeda

Takeda has recently made headlines for its innovative efforts in dengue prevention globally, including in Việt Nam. As an instrumental figure in this development process, could you share the inspiration behind what prompted you to join and commit to this mission?

I believe that vaccines are a cornerstone of public health, with the ability to make an incredible impact on people's and families' lives over generations. After witnessing first-hand the severe impacts of the dengue outbreak in Thailand in 2009, my commitment to this cause deepened. That experience became the driving force behind my passion to lead Takeda's team on the development of this dengue vaccine, aimed at providing a proactive measure against this infectious disease.

Takeda's dengue vaccine is approved for protecting against dengue fever. Could you share the journey of developing this vaccine?

As you know, dengue is a complex disease caused by four different virus serotypes (DENV-1, 2, 3 and 4), making vaccine development particularly challenging. The development of Takeda’s dengue vaccine has a long and intricate history, dating back nearly 60 years.

While efforts to find a dengue vaccine began as early as the 1920s, significant progress remained elusive for many decades due to various obstacles.

Our dengue vaccine journey traces back to 1978 at Mahidol University in Thailand. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Southeast Asia proposed a project for dengue vaccine research. Mahidol University was selected as a partner. The university led the dengue vaccine research and development and later in 1986 discovered a live-attenuated vaccine that prevents DENV-2. This became the crucial foundation for our current tetravalent vaccine. After 12 years of research, this effort culminated in creating a tetravalent vaccine capable of providing broad protection against all four dengue virus serotypes.

Over the past 11 years, under Takeda’s leadership, the vaccine successfully completed a clinical development programme involving 19 clinical trials with a total of 28,000 participants across 13 dengue-endemic and non-endemic countries. Recently, our vaccine has been recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) for introduction in countries with high dengue burden and high transmission intensity to maximise public health impact.

In addition to that, the vaccine has been included in the WHO’s List of Prequalified Vaccines, underscoring its quality and reliability as an important dengue prevention method suitable for public programmes. We are proud that our dengue vaccine is approved and endorsed for the protection of communities and people against dengue, both those that have had dengue previously and those that have not.

These global recommendations of Takeda’s dengue vaccine represent a major step forward in our mission to develop innovative vaccines that address the toughest public health challenges. The WHO’s recommendations affirm the vaccine’s potential as an important tool within an integrated strategy to help reduce the global threat of dengue.

What are the key challenges you and your team have faced during the development phase and production of this dengue vaccine? How did Takeda overcome these barriers?

There were numerous challenges throughout the research process, one of which was the highly complex nature of the dengue virus, with its four distinct serotypes. Achieving an immune response that provides protection against all four serotypes without increasing the risk of severe disease due to antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) was a significant challenge which we were able to overcome. Additionally, the vaccine needed to ensure efficacy and safety across diverse populations.

Beyond the research phase, the production, especially large-scale manufacturing required for commercialising the vaccine globally, was no simple task. The tetravalent dengue vaccine demands a high-tech, complex, and modern process for production, storage, preservation, and transportation. That is why we have been working closely with partners in Việt Nam and other countries to devise efficient transportation and storage strategies that can ensure smooth management of dengue vaccine administration.

Takeda's dengue vaccine manufacturing facility in Germany. — Photo Courtesy of Takeda

Could you share about Takeda's high-quality standards in the entire dengue vaccine manufacturing process, from production to supply chain and distribution worldwide? Could you share about Takeda's high-quality standards in the entire dengue vaccine manufacturing process, from production to supply chain and distribution worldwide?

Takeda’s first dengue manufacturing building at our Singen, Germany facility opened in November, 2019 to support formulation, fill, finish and secondary packaging of our dengue vaccine. In 2023, we expanded these capabilities with a state-of-the-art drug substance manufacturing building, making Singen the only Takeda facility worldwide capable of producing both the drug substance and drug product for our dengue vaccine.

The inclusion of Takeda’s dengue vaccine in WHO's List of Prequalified Vaccines confirms its quality and suitability for public vaccination programmes. This is an important step in broadening global access to Takeda’s dengue vaccine, especially in regions heavily impacted by dengue.

Recognising the need for an integrated, multi-pronged response to this global health threat and the current demand for dengue vaccines, Takeda is committed to working closely with partners, along with governments and health authorities in countries where the dengue vaccine has been licensed, to maximise the impact of our available vaccine supply.

Building upon existing manufacturing capabilities in Germany, Takeda made a strategic partnership with Biological E. Limited in India last year to accelerate access of the company’s dengue vaccine in multi-dose vials, which will be made available for procurement by governments in endemic countries to support national immunisation programmes.

We are on track to significantly increase our supply year over year and aim to achieve an annual supply capacity of 100 million doses per year by 2030 through in-house and strategic external investments to meet the growing demand for protection against this rising public health threat.

With millions of doses of dengue vaccines distributed worldwide, we remain committed to making a dengue vaccine that meets the highest standards of safety and efficacy accessible. At Takeda, we uphold stringent quality standards at every stage of our medicine and vaccine journey.

How do you foresee the dengue vaccine impacting public health outcomes, particularly in endemic countries like Việt Nam?

The dengue vaccine is expected to have a significant impact on public health outcomes, especially in endemic countries like Việt Nam. Dengue vaccines can help protect people who have never had dengue before, reduce new cases in people that have previously had dengue and reduce hospitalisation, which can result in significant economic benefits by alleviating the financial burden on healthcare systems and families, contributing to greater economic stability.

The WHO’s Dengue Vaccines Position Paper emphasised the prioritisation of all available dengue prevention methods, including vaccination, and we need to remember that, in order to effectively prevent dengue and improve public health outcomes, integrated dengue management, covering vector control, case management, and community education, need to go hand in hand with dengue vaccine introduction.

Based on its assessment, the WHO determined that Takeda’s dengue vaccine will have the greatest public health impact in areas with a high dengue transmission. The vaccine introduction should be accompanied by a well-designed communication strategy and community engagement. Individuals will still need to take additional steps to protect themselves and their loved ones, thereby improving the implementation of preventive measures, strengthening public health efforts, and reducing the impact of dengue on communities.

At the end of this September, Dr. Derek Wallace, President of the Global Vaccine Business Unit (VBU) and Mr. Dion Warren, Area Head of India & Southeast Asia (I-SEA), will be in Việt Nam.

During the visit, Dr. Derek Wallace and Mr. Dion Warren will spend time with Takeda's local team, initiating the official launch of Takeda’s dengue vaccine in Việt Nam, following its approval by the Ministry of Health in May, 2024. Takeda is currently the only manufacturer and importer of dengue vaccine to Việt Nam.

The presence and participation of these global leaders underscore Takeda's effort to provide solutions that help address the significant global burden of dengue, especially in endemic countries like Việt Nam.