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news.Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines business of Sanofi-Aventis, and the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI) have entered a partnership to help develop a vaccine for the global prevention of dengue fever.
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Dengue fever is the second most widespread tropical disease after malaria.
Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease affecting up to 100 million people every year, primarily children, resulting in 20,000 deaths from dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, the most severe forms of the disease, according to estimates from the World Health Organization. Overall, the disease is a potential threat for close to half the world's population.
“Incidence and disease burden of dengue are widely underestimated due to lack of awareness, diagnostics and monitoring of the disease. Our primary objective is to ensure rapid introduction of dengue vaccines into immunizations programs in all affected areas as soon as a vaccine becomes available,” said Harold Margolis, Director of the PDVI.
At the forefront of dengue vaccine development with an active research program which started in the 1990s, Sanofi Pasteur is currently evaluating its lead vaccine candidate in Latin America and Asia in expanded clinical phase II trials.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.