'Two companies are conducting trials to develop dengue vaccine'

NEW DELHI: Two companies are conducting trials to develop dengue vaccine, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research Dr Rajeev Bahl told ANI on Tuesday.

According to the vaccine trials status, Panacea has done phase l/ll and the trials have been completed on 100 adults between the ages of 18 and 60 years.

The primary objective of the study is safety evaluation, immunogenicity, and viremia assessment. Now the company plans to start phase 3 randomised trials, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials on 10,335 healthy adults aged 18 to 80 yrs at 20 sites of the ICMR. These trials were approved in January 2023.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Bahl said, "The company which was supposed to make the products three months ago could not do so. However, now the company would be ready in August. So those trials will be initiated in phase three."

"Till now we can't say anything even about efficacy as well," he said further.

According to the presentation by ICMR during press briefing another company Serum Institute of India (SII) has completed phase one trials on 60 adults with the aim of safety evaluation.