PETALING JAYA: The Government will carry out a feasibility study on a proposed dengue vaccine that is expected to hit the shelves next year, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
He said the ministry was eagerly waiting for the vaccine, which was announced by a private company on Friday and would first be made available to endemic countries.
“This is indeed an exciting news for the ministry and steps have been planned ahead in looking into the feasibility of the dengue vaccine in Malaysia.
“Data analysis and a review on the dengue vaccine will be done by a team of health experts based on the finding of the clinical evidences and the current scientific literature,” he said in a statement Saturday.
Dr Subra said depending on the findings of the study, the ministry would consider the dengue vaccine as a method to prevent the spread of the disease in the country.
On Friday, it was reported that the vaccine had registered increasing effectiveness during trials in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines.
Produced by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine is touted as the world’s first and is said to be able to boost a person’s pre-existing immunity rather than protective immunity.
However, experts maintain that the results of the trials are promising, but not yet perfect.
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