ICMR and Panacea Biotec Pioneer India’s Dengue Prevention Efforts

New Delhi: In a significant step towards combating dengue fever, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Panacea Biotec announced the initiation of the first-ever Phase 3 clinical trial for an indigenous dengue vaccine, DengiAll. This marks a critical advancement in India’s efforts to develop an effective vaccine against the dengue virus, which poses a major public health challenge across the country.

DengiAll, developed by Panacea Biotec, is a tetravalent vaccine designed to target all four serotypes of the dengue virus. India, which reported over 289,000 dengue cases and 485 deaths in 2023, currently lacks an approved vaccine for the disease. The Phase 3 trial, launched at Pandit Bhagwat Dayal Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in Rohtak, aims to evaluate the efficacy of this homegrown vaccine.

The trial will be conducted across 19 sites in 18 states and Union Territories, involving over 10,335 healthy adult participants. It is a landmark initiative, particularly given the global context of dengue’s rising incidence, with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting a historic high of approximately 6.5 million cases and nearly 7,300 deaths in 2023.

The Health Minister, JP Nadda, highlighted the importance of this trial, noting it as a testament to India’s capabilities in vaccine research and development. He emphasized the trial’s significance not only in protecting the health of Indian citizens but also in reinforcing the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat in the healthcare sector.

Panacea Biotec’s efforts represent the most advanced stage of development among Indian companies working on the tetravalent dengue vaccine strain, originally developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. Following promising results from Phase 1 and 2 trials completed in 2018-19, the Phase 3 trial will further test the vaccine’s efficacy and safety over a two-year follow-up period.

With dengue’s severe impact on both children and adults, this trial is a critical step toward reducing the disease’s burden in India. If successful, DengiAll could become the first licensed dengue vaccine in the country, offering a powerful tool to combat one of the most pressing viral threats in the region.