The world’s first dengue vaccine has been released for use in several countries — closer to home, in the Philippines — but Malaysian authorities will make a decision on its use here only in June.
This, according to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam, was to be done after the ministry’s technical and scientific committee wraps up its study on the vaccine’s efficacy.
“I want our experts to study all the available data and propose the best way to use the vaccine, then only will we make a decision,” he told Bernama.
Subramaniam added that they want to ensure that the vaccine — called Dengvaxia — was suitable and that it would ‘“really solve the problem we are facing now”.
According to him, the study would zone in on all available drugs in and out of the country and would tie them along with consideration the recommendations of the World Health Organisation technical committee.
French pharmaceutical company Sanofi had reportedly studied the viral disease for 20 years during the development of this vaccine, which has now been licensed in Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador and the Philippines.
