TetraVax-DV

Drug Overview

TetraVax-DV is a lyophilized, tetravalent, live-attenuated chimeric vaccine currently in Phase II/III development. The viral strains were formulated by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and have been licensed by vaccine producers in India (Biological E/Panacea Biotec), Brazil (Butantan Institute), and Vietnam (Vabiotech). Merck & Co has also in-licensed the vaccine from the NIH in order to investigate the potential of a heterologous prime-boost strategy with its own in-house vaccine, V180 (adjuvanted, tetravalent DEN-80E subunit vaccine).

TetraVax-DV has emerged as a potential best-in-class live-attenuated vaccine based on Phase I studies, which showed impressive rates of tetravalent seroconversion after a single dose of the TV-003 and TV-005 formulations. Datamonitor Healthcare expects that the vaccine’s low production costs and anticipated lower price compared to the other tetravalent live-attenuated chimeric vaccines, Dengvaxia (Sanofi Pasteur) and TAK-003 (Takeda), will allow local manufacturers to dominate their respective domestic markets. In addition, the Butantan Institute is expected to export TetraVax-DV to other endemic Latin American markets from Q2 2019, greatly reducing the commercial attractiveness of this region for other vaccines companies. Aside from dengue-endemic markets, TetraVax-DV’s impressive immunogenicity in flavivirus-naïve recipients and its attractive dosing schedule also position it as a strong candidate for travelers and/or the military.