Mexican health authorities have approved the first vaccine to gain official acceptance for use against the dengue fever virus. The vaccine, Dengvaxia, is manufactured by the French-based pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur.
In a statement, Mexico’s equivalent of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (Cofepris), said the drug protected two-thirds of over 40,000 patients who participated in clinical trials conducted in five countries spanning Latin America and Asia.
At first the vaccine will only be administered to children over the age of nine and adults under the age of 45 residing in areas where the disease is endemic.
It is unclear if the government will use the vaccine as part of a public health campaign. It is expected to go on sale next year.