Immunogenicity, Safety, and Efficacy of a Tetravalent Dengue Vaccine in Children and Adolescents: An Analysis by Age Group

Background. Dengue is an increasing threat to global health. This exploratory analysis evaluated the immunogenicity, safety, and vaccine efficacy (VE) of a live-attenuated tetravalent dengue vaccine (TAK-003) in participants enrolled in the phase 3 DEN-301 trial (NCT02747927), stratified by baseline age (4–5 years, 6–11 years, or 12–16 years). Methods. Participants were randomized 2:1 to receive 2 doses of TAK-003, administered 3 months apart, or placebo. Dengue serostatus was evaluated at enrolment. VE against virologically confirmed dengue (VCD) and hospitalized VCD; immunogenicity (geometric mean titers [GMTs]); and safety were evaluated per age group through ∼4 years postvaccination. Results. VE against VCD across serotypes was 43.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 25.3%, 57.3%) for 4–5 year-olds; 63.5% (95% CI: 56.9%, 69.1%) for 6–11 year-olds, and 67.7% (95% CI: 57.8%, 75.2%) for 12–16 year-olds. VE against hospitalized VCD was 63.8% (95% CI: 21.1%, 83.4%), 85.1% (95% CI: 77.1%, 90.3%), and 89.7% (95% CI: 77.9%, 95.2%), for the 3 age groups, respectively. GMTs remained elevated against all 4 serotypes for ∼4 years postvaccination, with no evident differences across age groups. No clear differences in safety by age were identified. Conclusions. This exploratory analysis shows TAK-003 was efficacious in dengue prevention across age groups in children and adolescents 4–16 years of age living in dengue endemic areas. Relatively lower VE in 4–5 year-olds was potentially confounded by causative serotype distribution, small sample size, and VE by serotype, and should be considered in benefit-risk evaluations in this age group.