Department of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa announced that the government is assessing the potential introduction of the Qdenga vaccine in the Philippines to prevent dengue in children. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been reviewing the application from Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals for a certificate of product registration (CPR) for Qdenga since 2023.
Herbosa clarified that Qdenga would not be used for mass immunization. “It has to be done in your clinics because what we’ve learned from Dengvaxia was that you should know the serologic status of the person you’re giving the dengue vaccine to. So, it’s very important that you take a serologic test [to measure antibodies in the blood] before you decide to give any of these new dengue vaccines,” he stated during the 2nd Dengue Summit organized by the Philippine Medical Association on Wednesday.
In 2023, Herbosa confirmed that there are no plans to reintroduce Dengvaxia due to the controversies surrounding the vaccine. This decision follows the manufacturer’s advice against prescribing Dengvaxia to patients who have not previously contracted the virus, as it may lead to severe diseases in the long run.
