Dengue Vaccines Available in India
Currently, no dengue vaccine is officially approved and available for routine use in India. While several dengue vaccines exist globally, India has not yet licensed any for commercial distribution in its market.
Global Dengue Vaccine Landscape
Three main dengue vaccines have been developed and approved in various countries:
1. Dengvaxia® (CYD-TDV)
- FDA-approved and licensed in multiple countries since 2015
- Not approved in India
- Overall vaccine efficacy of 60% 1
- Restricted use: only for individuals aged 6-16 years with laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection 2
- Carries risk of antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in dengue-naïve individuals, particularly children under 9 years 1, 3
2. Qdenga® (TAK-003)
- Approved in European Union, United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, and Thailand 2
- Not approved in India
- Overall vaccine efficacy of 80% after 12 months 1
- Demonstrated 85% reduction in hospitalized dengue cases 4
- Limitation: does not provide protective effect against DENV-3 in dengue-naïve individuals 1
- Produces sustained antibody responses against all four serotypes regardless of previous exposure 2
3. Butantan-DV
- Still undergoing Phase 3 clinical trials 1
- Not approved anywhere, including India
Indian Vaccine Development Efforts
India has been conducting clinical trials for a tetravalent live attenuated dengue vaccine:
- Serum Institute of India manufactured a tetravalent live attenuated dengue vaccine after receiving vaccine strains from NIAID, NIH, USA 5
- Phase 1 trial completed in 60 healthy Indian adults (2023) 5
- Showed promising results:
- Safe and well-tolerated
- Highly immunogenic with 79.5-100% seroconversion rates across serotypes
- GMTs ranged from 66.76 to 293.84 for all four serotypes by day 57 5
- Status: Still in early clinical development, not yet approved for public use
Clinical Implications
For patients in India requiring dengue prevention:
- No licensed vaccine option currently exists
- Prevention relies entirely on vector control and personal protective measures
- Travelers from India to countries where Qdenga® is approved could potentially receive vaccination abroad, though this requires individual country regulations review
- Monitor for future approval of the Serum Institute vaccine, which showed promising Phase 1 results in Indian adults 5
Important Caveats
All live-attenuated dengue vaccines carry contraindications for:
- Immunocompromised individuals
- Pregnant women 3
- Individuals without confirmed prior dengue infection (for Dengvaxia®) due to ADE risk 3
The absence of an approved dengue vaccine in India represents a significant gap given the country's high dengue burden and endemic status, making continued reliance on mosquito control and clinical management essential until vaccine approval occurs.