SANOFI PASTEUR IN PARTNERSHIP TO DEVELOP DENGUE VACCINE

Sanofi pasteur, the vaccines arm of French drugmaker sanofi-aventis, has announced a partnership with the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative (PDVI) to help develop and make a dengue vaccine widely available for the prevention of dengue fever, the second most widespread tropical disease after malaria.

Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease that affects up to 100 million people every year, primarily children, resulting in 20,000 deaths from dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The disease occurs mostly in tropical and subtropical countries and is spreading to new parts of the globe each year.

At the forefront of dengue vaccine development, sanofi pasteur is currently evaluating its lead vaccine candidate in Phase II trials.

"Our goal is to make dengue a vaccine-preventable disease. This partnership will help focus the attention of the immunization community on this debilitating disease that requires a strong commitment from all health partners," said Dave Williams, CEO of sanofi pasteur.