Sanofi has announced that a large-scale public programme to immunise 500,000 individuals with Dengvaxia dengue vaccine has been launched in the Americas.
The dengue prevention programme will start in Paraná state, Brazil, which reported 55,000 cases in the last year.
Paraná health secretary Michele Caputo Neto said: “For the public immunisation programme being launched today, we have used our extensive dengue surveillance data to ensure that we are targeting people at highest risk of disease.
"We will vaccinate all individuals 15 to 27 years of age in 28 municipalities, and nine to 44 years of age in the two municipalities with the top dengue burden in our state over the next three weeks.
“Paraná has a good track record in vaccination coverage in general, and successful implementation of this dengue immunisation strategy could result in a 74% reduction in disease burden in these highly impacted municipalities within five years, according to a dengue vaccine impact study published in the Brazilian Journal of Health Economics.”
The safety and efficacy of Sanofi’s Dengvaxia dengue vaccine has been independently endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
During Phases II and III of the clinical development of the vaccine, more than 40,000 people participated in both studies conducted in 15 countries worldwide, including Brazil.
Sanofi Pasteur Guillaume Leroy said: “Introduction of the dengue vaccine first in endemic countries like Brazil has always been Sanofi Pasteur’s priority because this is where the vaccine can have the greatest impact on disease burden globally.
“Furthermore, successful implementation of Dengvaxia in a large-scale public programme in Paraná will serve as a benchmark for dengue prevention efforts elsewhere in the country and in the world.”
