Sanofi Pasteur reports positive dengue vaccine trial data

Sanofi Pasteur has announced positive data from the first of two phase III trials of its new vaccine for the deadly tropical disease dengue fever.

The efficacy study showed a significant reduction of 56 percent of dengue disease cases among the more than 10,000 paediatric patients enrolled in the trial. Initial safety data, meanwhile, was consistent with the good safety profile observed in previous studies.

It represented the world's first large-scale dengue vaccine efficacy study, with data from a second trial involving more than 20,000 volunteers set to be reported during the third quarter of 2014.

Sanofi Pasteur's overall goal is to make dengue the next vaccine-preventable disease, while supporting the World Health Organization's ambition to reduce dengue mortality by 50 percent and morbidity by 25 percent by 2020.

Olivier Charmeil, president and chief executive officer of Sanofi Pasteur, said: "This achievement is the result of more than 20 years of work in the field of dengue, collaborating with investigators, volunteers, authorities, scientific experts and international organisations."

The firm is committed to combating the spread of tropical disease worldwide, issuing a call earlier this year for a global effort to eradicate the threat of polio for good.