Written by Staff Writer
This content was originally published on May 14, 2018.
The development of a vaccine against dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) will break an important new barrier in the treatment of the disease.
DHF, a common mosquito-borne disease, is highly lethal and affects people of African, Asian and Latin American descent. It is caused by a type of virus called Dengue virus type 1, which is also spread through mosquitoes.
In 2016, over 54 million individuals across five continents were infected by dengue virus — the equivalent of living in a town the size of Westwood, California. To date, however, dengue has been the victim of successive major biotechnology advances in terms of anti-viral drugs.
Celgene is currently developing an anti-viral treatment called ogutuzumab for all three types of dengue virus. The company hopes to secure regulatory approval for the treatment by early 2019.
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Aflac , the Japanese insurer, is currently preparing to receive an investigational new drug (IND) for a novel anti-viral developed by NantKwest, a Californian biotechnology company.
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