“Togo has launched the R21/Matrix-M malaria vaccine into its national immunization program, the Health Ministry announced in a press conference on Tuesday. The initiative, which began on September 1, 2025, aims to protect approximately 269,000 children in its initial phase, covering all 39 of the country’s health districts simultaneously.”
From Ecofin Agency.
“The Food and Drug Administration approved Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine Wednesday for adults ages 50 and older, clearing the first shot of its kind after a review process that nearly collapsed in February.
The vaccine, called mFlusiva, uses the same messenger RNA technology as Moderna’s Covid-19 shots. It could reach pharmacies in time for the coming flu season, which typically starts in the fall…
Traditional flu shots are grown in chicken eggs, a process that takes about six months and forces manufacturers to guess months in advance which strains will circulate. Moderna’s mRNA shot can be made in as little as two to three months, meaning it could better match the actual virus once flu season arrives…
In a study of more than 40,000 adults, mFlusiva cut the risk of flu by 26.6% compared with a standard-dose vaccine. That reduction was 47.9% against flu severe enough to send patients to the hospital or urgent care.”
From Wall Street Journal.
“Takeda Pharmaceutical's dengue vaccine Qdenga has been approved by India's drug regulator, making it the first such vaccine to be cleared in the country, the Japanese drugmaker's India unit said on Monday.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease and one of the fastest-spreading vector-borne illnesses globally. The World Health Organization reported a record 14.4 million dengue cases and 11,201 deaths worldwide in 2024, including 232,425 cases and 233 deaths in India…
Reported dengue cases in India rose 11-fold in the past two decades, according to Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India.
Qdenga, designed to protect against all four dengue virus serotypes, is indicated for the prevention of dengue in children and adults aged 4 to 60 years, the company said.
In a late-stage trial, the vaccine, approved in 43 countries so far, showed an efficacy of 80.2% against confirmed dengue cases one year after the second dose.
It also showed 90.4% efficacy against dengue-related hospitalizations after 18 months, meeting the secondary end-point of the study, according to the company.”
From Reuters.
“Serum Institute of India said on Thursday it would manufacture an experimental tuberculosis vaccine under an agreement with the Gates Medical Research Institute, in what is likely to be the first new TB shot in more than 100 years if approved.
The novel vaccine candidate, M72/AS01E, has been in development for two decades and is currently in a late-stage clinical trial.
Serum Institute plans to invest more than $100 million to scale up manufacturing capacity and prepare for future vaccine supply, pending approval, the company said.
Under the agreement, Gates MRI, founded by the Gates Foundation, will transfer the technology and know-how needed to manufacture the vaccine antigen and enable large-scale production, Serum Institute said.”
From Reuters.
“China has broken ground on what developers say is the country’s first production line for AI-assisted personalised tumour vaccines, raising hopes for millions of new cancer patients every year – a disease that ranks as the nation’s second-leading cause of death.
By October, Beijing-based Likang Life Sciences is expected to complete a new drug research and manufacturing centre in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, with a total investment of about 110 million yuan (US$16.1 million), according to the district government.
The facility will house cell therapy research laboratories together with a production line of the company’s flagship product, LK101, a personalised cancer vaccine that analyses each patient’s tumour DNA to pinpoint the specific genetic mutations driving the disease. With AI, the company said the procedure could be completed in a day.”
From South China Morning Post.
