PETALING JAYA: The Qdenga dengue vaccine must be reasonably priced and be easily accessible to Malaysians given the high burden of the disease in Asia, says virologist Emeritus Prof Datuk Dr Lam Sai Kit.
Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO), he said Asia bears 70% of the global dengue burden.
“Globally, an estimated 3.9 billion people, about half the world’s population, are at risk of dengue, and now it is endemic in more than 125 countries,” said the research consultant at Universiti Malaya and senior fellow at the Academy of Sciences Malaysia.
Scientists have warned that climate change will likely hasten the spread of the mosquito species that carries the virus, he said, adding that the potential market for the vaccine is huge.
“In developing countries in Asia, where the need is the greatest, the pricing of the vaccine will affect its usage. To have a meaningful impact on public health, there should be enough people vaccinated so that there is adequate herd immunity to reduce spread.
“There is no point in having a vaccine that is priced beyond reach of those who are the most vulnerable to this life-threatening disease.
“Fortunately, Takeda Pharmaceutical is well aware of this problem, and has considered providing the Qdenga vaccine at a steep discount in emerging markets in developing countries,” he said.
It was reported in March last year that Takeda would sell the vaccine at a discounted rate in emerging markets at a one-third discount of its European pricing.
The vaccine is approved for use in Indonesia where it is priced at US$80 for a course of two shots.
“To be fair to the company, developing a vaccine such as Qdenga is very costly and it needs to recover the cost.
“Demand for the Qdenga vaccine in Malaysia will be low and only for those who can afford it initially. It is hoped that the government can subsidise the cost to make the vaccine more affordable and accessible.
“Eventually, it is hoped that the most vulnerable group such as children aged four and above be given free vaccination. If the demand for the vaccine is high and sustainable, the cost can be negotiated and brought down,” he said.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s community health expert Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said the vaccine should be administered to individuals aged four and above as per the recommendations of the Health Ministry’s and WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation.
“This is due to a phenomenon called ‘antibody-dependent enhancement’ that can increase risk of severe dengue among people who have not been (previously) infected with dengue,” she said.
This differs from the Dengvaxia vaccine, which is only recommended to people who were previously infected with the dengue virus.
She said trials have shown that Qdenga was effective in preventing severe cases.
“The TIDES exploratory analyses showed that throughout the 4.5-year study follow-up, it prevented 84% of hospitalised dengue cases and 61% of symptomatic dengue cases in the overall population, including both seropositive (dengue antibodies found in blood) and seronegative individuals,” she added.
