Dengue Fever Vaccine In Final Phase – A vaccine against the dengue fever created by Sanofi Pasteur’s Sanofi-Aventis has entered the final phase of its development and will be hitting the market very soon.
Earlier today the French pharmaceutical group revealed that they have just begun a Phase III clinical trial in Australia in order to validate the effectiveness of the vaccine against all four serotypes of the dengue virus which affects 60 to 200 million people worldwide each year.
At the end of this phase, the vaccine will be marketed and it could be a protection against the disease that is spreading more and more especially in the Caribbean.
The company went on to say the results and details of the Australian study will be revealed at the 59th conference of the The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) which is being held in Atlanta from November 3 through November 7, 2010.
According to a Sanofi Pasteur press release:
“This study is part of a global phase 3 clinical study program aimed at advancing the development of a novel vaccine for the prevention of dengue disease in children and adults.Currently, there is no specific treatment available for dengue fever, which is a threat to nearly three billion people and a public health priority in many countries of Latin America and Asia where epidemics occur.”
Previous clinical studies have been conducted in adults and children in the United States, Asia and Latin America were very conclusive.The world’s 3rd largest pharmaceutical company went on to explain, that after receiving three doses of vaccine, the participants presented an immune response known as “balanced” against the four serotypes of dengue virus.
The dengue hemorrhagic fever was mentioned in numerous media outlets this week after it was revealed that three-time world surfing champion Andy Irons died from dengue fever.