Qdenga

This vaccine can only be obtained with a prescription and should be used in accordance with official recommendations.

The vaccine is given as an injection under the skin of the upper arm. The vaccination course consists of 2 injections given 3 months apart.

For more information about using this vaccine, see the package leaflet or contact your healthcare provider.

Dengue disease is caused by infection with dengue virus, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of mosquitos. This vaccine contains attenuated versions of the 4 virus serotypes. These versions cannot cause the disease, but they ‘teach’ the immune system (the body’s natural defences) to defend the body against the virus.

When a person is given the vaccine, the immune system identifies the attenuated serotypes as foreign and makes antibodies against them. When a person is later exposed to the virus, the immune system recognises it and can quickly make many more antibodies, which then neutralise the virus before it can cause dengue disease.

This vaccine was shown to be effective at preventing fever due to dengue disease in children and adolescents in the 12 months following the second injection. In a main study in 8 countries in Latin America and the Asia Pacific region, about 20,000 children between the age of 4 to 16 years were given Qdenga or placebo (a dummy injection). The study showed a reduction by 80% in the number of fever cases caused by confirmed dengue disease in those who received the vaccine (61 cases in 12,700 children) compared with those given placebo (149 cases in 6,316 children).
The vaccine also reduced hospitalisation due to dengue by 90%. In the 18 months after receiving the second injection, 0.1% (13 out of 12,700) of children given the vaccine were hospitalised because of confirmed dengue, compared with 1.0% (66 out of 6,316) of children given placebo.

The most common side effects with Qdenga (which may affect more than 1 in 5 people) are pain and redness at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, feeling generally unwell and weakness. Up to 1 in 10 people may experience fever. These side effects, which are usually of mild to moderate severity and resolve within a few days, are less frequent after the second dose of the vaccine than after the first.

This vaccine must not be used in people who had a hypersensitivity (allergic) reaction to a previous dose of Qdenga. It must also not be used in individuals with a weakened immune system because of a disease, medicines that affect the immune system or HIV infection. The vaccine must not be used in women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.

For the full list of side effects and restrictions of Qdenga, see the package leaflet.

Qdenga provides protection against fever and hospitalisation resulting from dengue disease caused by any of the 4 dengue virus serotypes. Side effects are mostly mild to moderate in severity and disappear within a few days.

The European Medicines Agency therefore decided that Qdenga’s benefits are greater than its risks and it can be authorised for use in the EU.

Recommendations and precautions to be followed by healthcare professionals and patients for the safe and effective use of Qdenga have been included in the summary of product characteristics and the package leaflet.

As for all medicines, data on the use of Qdenga are continuously monitored. Suspected side effects reported with Qdenga are carefully evaluated and any necessary action taken to protect patients.

Qdenga received a marketing authorisation valid throughout the EU on 5 December 2022.