Zydus partners with Japan's Takeda to develop vaccine for chikungunya

The Ahmedabad-based Zydus Cadila has entered into a partnership agreement with Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited to develop vaccine for chikungunya, an emerging infectious disease. At present, there is no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat chikungunya virus infection. The broad-based agreement between the two companies includes early stage development to the final commercialisation of the vaccine. 

“We have always been committed to working with partners and collaborating to bring affordable therapies and bridge unmet healthcare needs. By partnering with Takeda on this very important research and development initiative and leveraging our development capabilities, we will be taking an all important step to prevent the disease burden which is highly prevalent in developing countries and causes suffering and disability,” commented Pankaj Patel, chairman and managing director, Zydus group.

The chikungunya virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the same vectors that spread dengue and zika. 

Chikungunya has been identified in over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. After the bite of an infected mosquito, onset of illness occurs usually between 4 and 8 days but can range from 2 to 12 days. In some people, the joint pain may persist for months. People at risk for severe indications include newborns infected around the time of birth, older adults (of above 65 years), and people with medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease.

Since 2005, India, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and Thailand have reported over 1.9 million cases and almost 1.3 million suspected cases of Chikungunya being recorded in the Caribbean islands, Latin American countries, and the US till 2015.

While terms of the agreement are not disclosed, the partnership between Zydus and Takeda is expected to boost access to medicines in the future through this novel partnership.

Dr Rahul Singhvi, Takeda Vaccines’ chief operating officer, said, “Takeda is very pleased to work with Zydus Cadila. We are always open to tackling the world’s most urgent and neglected unmet medical needs together with partners. Our belief is that chikungunya can be prevented by vaccines, and that a vaccine might be licensed more quickly if we can accelerate development with this Zydus partnership. Takeda is at the center of important vaccine-related activities in global health and emerging infectious diseases. This is another demonstration of Takeda’s major commitment to the health of children in developing countries and elsewhere around the world.”