India could have its first indigenous dengue vaccine by the end of next year if the ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial progresses as expected, ICMR Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl said in Kolkata.
Phase 3 Trial Underway Across 20 Institutes
The randomised Phase 3 trial is being conducted across 20 institutes and involves more than 13,000 volunteers. Participants are being followed up after receiving either the vaccine or placebo in a 2:1 ratio.
Nearly one year of follow-up has been completed, and researchers are hopeful of unblinding the trial results by the end of next year.
674 Volunteers Enrolled at Kolkata Centre
NIRBI, formerly known as NICED, is among the centres participating in the nationwide trial. Its team is following 674 volunteers enrolled for the study.
Researchers may need additional time to assess the vaccine because dengue cases have remained relatively low in India this year, which could affect the pace of evaluating its effectiveness.
DengiAll Targets Four Dengue Strains
DengiAll is being developed as India’s first indigenous single-dose dengue vaccine. The vaccine is designed to provide protection against all four dengue virus strains circulating in the country.
The final timeline will depend on the completion of follow-up and analysis of the Phase 3 trial data.
ICMR Chief Highlights Kangaroo Mother Care
Speaking at the fourth Dilip Mahalanabis Oration organised by the Liver Foundation West Bengal, Bahl also highlighted Kangaroo Mother Care, a proven newborn-care approach involving skin-to-skin contact between mothers and babies.
He also discussed the evolution of Mahalanabis’s work from sick newborn care units to Mother Newborn Care Units, which promote zero separation between mothers and sick or premature newborns.
