Health Minister Nísia Trindade told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Qdenga dengue fever vaccine, manufactured by Takeda, is under analysis by a technical committee that will recommend whether or not to purchase it for the national health system.
Takeda’s press office told The Brazilian Report it submitted its request on July 28. The deadline for analysis is six months from the date of submission.
In early July, newspaper O Globo published a story quoting the deputy minister for health products, Carlos Gadelha, saying the ministry planned to prioritize an upcoming Brazilian-developed dengue vaccine over Qdenga. After strong negative backlash, the government pivoted, without directly contradicting Mr. Gadelha.
The Butantan Institute, owned by the São Paulo state government, expects to clear the last research phase on its own dengue vaccine in 2024.
Already approved by federal health regulator Anvisa, Takeda’s Qdenga is available on the private market in Brazil. Sabin, a major private lab, currently offers the two-dose regimen for BRL 836 (USD 170), which amounts to more than 60 percent of Brazil’s monthly minimum wage. Takeda said it has shipped to suppliers of over 600 clinics. The vaccine is imported from a factory in Germany.
Qdenga is approved by Anvisa for the general population from 4 to 60 years old, while Dengvaxia, an immunizer developed by French group Sanofi Pasteur, has been restricted to people who have already had dengue fever.
“This [age restriction] gives us a problem, because the most vulnerable are those over 60,” Ms. Trindade told the House Oversight Committee. “But protecting those from 4 to 60 is undoubtedly important.”
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