Use and Development of Dengue Vaccines or Drugs for Public Consumption
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms He Ting Ru’s inquiry into the use of Dengvaxia and the development of new vaccines or drugs for public consumption. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung clarified that Dengvaxia is only recommended for those with prior infection and is not tracked at a population level. He explained that most people are ineligible due to low prevalence, but Takeda’s new vaccine candidate is currently under review by the Health Sciences Authority. There are six other vaccine candidates in development, which the Ministry of Health continues to monitor as part of its control strategy. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung affirmed that the Ministry remains focused on evaluating new therapeutics to strengthen Singapore’s multi-pronged approach against dengue.
Transcript
44 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Dengvaxia vaccine is recommended and routinely offered to recovered dengue patients who fit the eligibility criteria; (b) whether the Ministry tracks the number of Dengvaxia vaccinations administered; and (c) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the development of potential dengue vaccines or drugs that may become viable for public consumption.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Dengvaxia is, currently, the only dengue vaccine approved in Singapore for individuals aged 12 to 45. However, the vaccine is not recommended for individuals who have no prior infection, because of the increased risk of developing severe dengue, should they get infected with dengue later in life. Due to Singapore’s relatively low dengue prevalence, most people are ineligible to receive the vaccine. As such, Dengvaxia vaccination is not an effective way to control dengue at the population level and Singapore does not track the number of people who have taken the vaccine.
Other than Dengvaxia, there are, approximately, six dengue vaccine candidates in various stages of clinical development, with Takeda’s tetravalent, that is, targeting all four dengue strains, dengue vaccine (TAK-003) being the most advanced candidate. Takeda has submitted its dengue vaccine candidate for registration in Singapore and the application is, currently, being reviewed by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).
MOH will continue to monitor the development of the dengue vaccines and therapeutics as part of a multi-pronged approach to dengue control in Singapore.