Singapore approves use of world's first dengue vaccine
BY LINETTE LAI
SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has approved the world's first dengue vaccine Dengvaxia for use in Singapore following a seven-month expedited review of the potential benefits and risks.
It will be made commercially available in several months' time.
Manufacturers Sanofi has not yet said how much it will cost, although its global medical affairs head Dr Ng Su-Peing has said that the company's goal is to make the vaccine "as commercially accessible as possible".
Studies have shown that overall, the vaccine is effective at reducing dengue by 60%, and reducing severe dengue by 84%.
The risk of hospitalisation from dengue was reduced in those above 12 years old but also showed that the vaccine was not very effective in those aged above 45.
The vaccine was also 81% effective in people who had already had a dengue infection previously, compared to 38% in those who had never had the virus.
The Health Ministry does not recommend rolling out this dengue vacine as a national programme as it "would not be a clinically and cost-effective means to tackling dengue infection in Singapore".
This means that subsidies and Medisave cannot be used to pay for vaccination.
The vaccine was launched late in 2015 and is currently approved for use in nine other countries, including Indonesia and the Philippines.
Source: The Star
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional ... e-vaccine/