Use and Development of Dengue Vaccines or Drugs for Public Consumption

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Dengvaxia vaccine is recommended and routinely offered to recovered dengue patients who fit the eligibility criteria; (b) whether the Ministry tracks the number of Dengvaxia vaccinations administered; and (c) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the development of potential dengue vaccines or drugs that may become viable for public consumption.

Dengvaxia is, currently, the only dengue vaccine approved in Singapore for individuals aged 12 to 45. However, the vaccine is not recommended for individuals who have no prior infection, because of the increased risk of developing severe dengue, should they get infected with dengue later in life. Due to Singapore’s relatively low dengue prevalence, most people are ineligible to receive the vaccine. As such, Dengvaxia vaccination is not an effective way to control dengue at the population level and Singapore does not track the number of people who have taken the vaccine.

Other than Dengvaxia, there are, approximately, six dengue vaccine candidates in various stages of clinical development, with Takeda’s tetravalent, that is, targeting all four dengue strains, dengue vaccine (TAK-003) being the most advanced candidate. Takeda has submitted its dengue vaccine candidate for registration in Singapore and the application is, currently, being reviewed by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

MOH will continue to monitor the development of the dengue vaccines and therapeutics as part of a multi-pronged approach to dengue control in Singapore.