QDENGA: India’s first approved dengue vaccine

📌 Summary:

• QDENGA, a dengue vaccine made by Takeda Biopharmaceuticals (Japan-headquartered), has received market authorisation from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI)
• It is the first dengue vaccine approved for use in India
• Details: for individuals aged 4–60; given in two doses, three months apart; designed to protect against all four dengue serotypes
• Price for India not yet announced
• Burden context: about half the world population is now at risk of dengue, with an estimated 100–400 million infections a year (WHO)
• India accounts for ~one-third of the global dengue burden and is among the 30 most highly endemic countries

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 (S&T/Health) — vaccine approval and regulation, disease control; GS2 — public health governance and the role of DCGI/CDSCO.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• QDENGA is made by Takeda (Japan); approved by DCGI — India first dengue vaccine
• Age eligibility 4–60; two doses, three months apart; covers all 4 serotypes
• Dengue is a viral disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito
• India carries ~1/3 of the global dengue burden

🔑 Key Term: DCGI (Drug Controller General of India) — the apex authority under CDSCO that approves new drugs and vaccines for manufacture and marketing in India.