Takeda Pharmaceutical Company announced the investment of more than € 100 million to build a new manufacturing plant for its dengue vaccine candidate in Singen, Germany. The investment will reinforce the company’s global vaccine strategy in general, and dengue in particular, according to Dr. Thomas Wozniewski, Global Manufacturing & Supply Officer at Takeda. “Our colleagues in Singen have vast experience in lyophilisation technology, which is key for the manufacturing process of Takeda’s dengue vaccine finished product,” he noted. The new facility should be ready for production in 2019.
Takeda’s tetravalent dengue vaccine candidate (TAK-003) is based on a live-attenuated dengue serotype 2 virus (DENV-2), which provides the genetic ‘backbone’ for all four vaccine viruses. The vaccine aims to support the protection of populations and individuals at risk for dengue across geographies whether or not they have had previous exposure to dengue virus, including children and adults, travelers and those living in endemic areas. The phase 3 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial TIDES is now enrolling approximately 20,000 healthy children between the ages of four and 16 years living in dengue-endemic countries in Latin America and Asia.