OREANDA-NEWS. Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Zydus Cadila today announced a partnership to tackle chikungunya, an emerging infectious disease in Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent. In recent decades mosquito vectors of chikungunya have spread to Europe and the Americas. i According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA, there is currently no vaccine to prevent or medicine to treat chikungunya virus infectionii. The chikungunya virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, the same vectors that spread dengue and Zika.

Terms are not disclosed but the partnership agreement covers early stage development through the final commercialization of the vaccine.

Dr. Rahul Singhvi, Takeda Vaccines’ Chief Operating Officer said: “Takeda is very pleased to work with Zydus Cadila. We are tackling the world’s most urgent and neglected unmet medical needs together with our partners. Our belief is that chikungunya can be prevented with a vaccine, and that we can accelerate development through this Zydus partnership.”

Speaking about this key development, Mr. Pankaj R. Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Zydus group said, “We have always been committed to working with partners and collaborating to bring affordable therapies and bridge unmet healthcare needs. By working 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.”

Takeda’s Dr. Singhvi added: “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 people everywhere.”

Chikungunya has been identified in over 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. It is a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes. The most common symptoms of chikungunya are fever and severe joint pain. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. Joint pain is often debilitating and can vary in duration. The disease shares some clinical signs with dengue, and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. There is no cure for the disease. Treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. The proximity of mosquito breeding sites to human habitation is a significant risk factor for chikungunya.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global, R&D-driven pharmaceutical company committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients by translating science into life-changing medicines. Takeda focuses its research efforts on oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system therapeutic areas. It also has specific development programs in specialty cardiovascular diseases as well as late-stage candidates for vaccines. Takeda conducts R&D both internally and with partners to stay at the leading edge of innovation. New innovative products, especially in oncology and gastroenterology, as well as its presence in emerging markets, fuel the growth of Takeda. More than 30,000 Takeda employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients, working with our partners in health care in more than 70 countries.