Takeda Building New Dengue Vaccine Factory in Germany

Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, is investing one hundred million dollars to build a new Dengue vaccine plant in Singen, Germany. Construction will start now, and the facility should be operational by 2019. The factory is intended for production of their vaccine TAK-003, which is currently in a phase III trial. Dengue virus is the cause of Dengue fever and Dengue hemorrhagic fever, and nearly half of the world's population lives in zones at risk. 

Currently Sanofi's Dengvaxia is the only Dengue virus vaccine on the market, but it is facing many setbacks. There is evidence that Dengue virus can cause antibody-dependent enhancement if a person who has been infected with one of the four serotypes before becomes infected with a different serotype later on. This can cause much more severe disease, and even death. There is debate as to whether Dengvaxia acts as a primary infection, and can cause more severe illness if additional exposure to the virus happens. Takeda's vaccine is designed to avoid this problem, and provide protection against all four serotypes. 

-Anne Sommer

http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/takeda_plans_german_plant_to_support_dengue_vaccine_roll-out_1179374
http://www.biopharma-reporter.com/Upstream-Processing/Takeda-building-Dengue-fever-vaccine-plant