Malaysia’s Ministry of Health (MOH) is reviewing a vaccine for dengue fever that has already received approval for use in Mexico.
After Mexico successfully registered the vaccine, its producer sent documents to Malaysia. Health professionals are reviewing the documents to determine whether the vaccine should also receive approval and registration in Malaysia.
MOH’s Drug Control Authority already has held multiple meetings to review vaccine data. Topics of discussion have included the effectiveness, safety and quality of the vaccine.
Health officials estimate that the organization will make a decision about the new vaccine by the middle of next year. Only then will the MOH Public Health Program begin a thorough look at how cost-effective it will be for the nation to accept the vaccine as part of its policy.
These costs include the price of the vaccine itself, the price of the treatment, the price of intervention, the circulating serotype, the loss of productivity, the epidemiology, and the impact the vaccine has on dengue in the region.
The serotype is one of the major points of concern for whether the vaccine will be effective in Malaysia. The epidemiology and main circulating virus strain vary from country to country.
