Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group, announced the start of clinical studies of its investigational tetravalent dengue vaccine in Singapore and Vietnam. With these studies, Sanofi Pasteur is expanding its global dengue vaccine clinical study programme in Asia where trials are already ongoing in Thailand and the Philippines. These studies are aimed at advancing the development of a novel vaccine for the prevention of dengue in the Asia-Pacific region.

"Dengue has emerged as a serious public health problem in Asia-Pacific in the last decades. There are 1.8 billion people in the region at risk of dengue fever," said Chusak Prasittisuk, Coordinator Communicable Diseases Control at the World Health Organization South East- Asia Region. "WHO is committed to fostering vaccine development for the control of dengue disease in Asia."

Currently, there is no specific treatment available against dengue fever, which is the most widespread tropical disease after malaria. Sanofi Pasteur is collaborating with the Communicable Disease Center in Singapore and the Pasteur Institute in Vietnam to conduct these clinical studies in children and adults. "Controlling the mosquitoes that transmit dengue is necessary but not sufficient to fight against the disease. A safe and effective vaccine has been long awaited to prevent dengue epidemics," said Professor Leo Yee Sin, director of the Communicable Disease Center in Singapore.

"Clinical studies in Singapore are critical steps to advance the development of a vaccine for the prevention of dengue in Asia. We are happy to contribute to scientific research that would benefit the entire region." "Fighting against dengue is a main public health priority in Vietnam. About 100,000 people are infected each year, mostly children," said Dr. Tran Ngoc Huu, director of Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City. "The Pasteur Institute is committed to supporting clinical studies for a dengue vaccine that would ultimately benefit children in Vietnam."

A global clinical study programme across endemic regions in Asia and Latin America Sanofi Pasteur started the development of a dengue vaccine in the '90s. Clinical studies with the most advanced tetravalent candidate vaccine started in the 2000s. Sanofi Pasteur tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate has been evaluated in clinical trials in adults and children from non-endemic and endemic countries (US, Mexico, Philippines). Overall, a balanced immune response against all four serotypes was observed after three doses of the vaccine. The vaccine appears to be well tolerated with a similar safety profile after each dose1.

Sanofi Pasteur's dengue vaccine research programme includes ongoing clinical studies in Mexico, Peru, The Philippines and Thailand, with adults and children. The goal of the pediatric clinical study in Thailand is to assess the efficacy of the vaccine in protecting children against symptomatic dengue infection. Sanofi Pasteur's tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate is the first to reach this stage of clinical development.