CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & HYDERABAD, India — Takeda (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) and Biological E. Limited (BE), a leading India-based Vaccines and Pharmaceutical Company, today announced a strategic partnership to accelerate access to QDENGA®▼ (Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine [Live, Attenuated]) (TAK-003) multi-dose vials (MDVs). These doses will ultimately be made available for procurement by governments in endemic countries by 2030 at the latest to support National Immunization Programs. MDVs offer economic and logistical advantages for National Immunization Programs by minimizing packaging and storage expenses, while also reducing medical and environmental waste. BE will ramp up to a manufacturing capacity of up to 50 million doses a year, accelerating Takeda’s efforts to manufacture 100 million doses a year within the decade. The partnership will build upon existing manufacturing capacity for the vaccine at Takeda’s facility in Singen, Germany and Takeda’s long-term partnership with IDT Biologika GmbH.
“Takeda’s long-term goal for our dengue program has been to make QDENGA broadly available to those at risk who may benefit from immunization. Within the last year, we’ve successfully launched in private markets, are now launching in some public programs, and working with partners to support a broader public health impact,” said Gary Dubin, M.D., president of the Global Vaccine Business Unit at Takeda. “We are proud to announce a strategic manufacturing partnership with Biological E. Limited, which has deep expertise in vaccine manufacturing and longstanding support of public health programs around the world. Together, we will help combat dengue on a global scale by significantly increasing manufacturing capacity for multi-dose vials of QDENGA to drive sustainable access to the vaccine in more endemic countries.”
Dengue fever is among the most common mosquito-borne viral diseases worldwide, with global incidence rates increasing 30-fold over the last 50 years due to urbanization, travel and climate change. Dengue is currently endemic in more than 100 countries and causes an estimated 390 million infections each year. The Americas, South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions are the most seriously affected, with Asia alone representing ~70% of the global burden of disease.
“We are proud to collaborate with Takeda in the production of their groundbreaking Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine, QDENGA, in multi-dose vials,” affirmed Ms. Mahima Datla, managing director at Biological E. Limited. “Takeda’s commitment to patient-focused, value-based research and development aligns extremely well with our dedication to advancing healthcare. We are fortunate to have created an institute that attracts such strong global partners for complex vaccines and underscores our shared mission of shaping a healthier future for all. With Takeda’s esteemed history and global presence, we are honored to advance our vision of delivering highly innovative medicines and transformative care worldwide.”
QDENGA is currently available for children and adults in the private market in countries in Europe, Indonesia and Thailand, and in private and some public programs in Argentina and Brazil. TAK-003 is not approved for use in India.
About Takeda
Takeda is focused on creating better health for people and a brighter future for the world. We aim to discover and deliver life-transforming treatments in our core therapeutic and business areas, including gastrointestinal and inflammation, rare diseases, plasma-derived therapies, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines. Together with our partners, we aim to improve the patient experience and advance a new frontier of treatment options through our dynamic and diverse pipeline. As a leading values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, we are guided by our commitment to patients, our people and the planet. Our employees in approximately 80 countries and regions are driven by our purpose and are grounded in the values that have defined us for more than two centuries.
About Biological E. Limited
Biological E. Limited (BE), a Hyderabad-based Pharmaceuticals & Biologics Company founded in 1953, is the first private sector biological products company in India and the first pharmaceutical company in Southern India. BE develops, manufactures and supplies vaccines and therapeutics. BE supplies its vaccines to more than 130 countries and its therapeutic products are sold in India, the USA and Europe. BE currently has 8 WHO-prequalified vaccines and 10 USFDA approved Generic Injectables in its portfolio. Recently, BE has received Emergency Use Listing (EUL) from the WHO for CORBEVAX®, the COVID-19 vaccine.
In recent years, BE has embarked on new initiatives for organizational expansion such as developing specialty injectable products for global markets as a means to manufacture APIs sustainably and developing novel vaccines for the global market.
Takeda Media Contacts
Japanese Media
Maiko Miura
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U.S. and International Media
Charlotte McCormack
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Biological E. Limited Media Contact:
K. Vijay Amruth Raj
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