Unmet medical need for dengue fever treatment

Dengue—a mosquito-borne viral disease that has dramatically spread across multiple tropical regions of the world¹—is a serious global health burden. An estimated 3.9 billion people worldwide are at risk of infection with dengue viruses,² and a recent estimate indicates there are 390 million dengue infections per year, of which 96 million manifest clinically (with any severity of disease).³ Even mild dengue may progress to a hemorrhagic form and cause death.

The total annual global cost of dengue illness has been estimated at $8.9 billion during 2013.⁴ Potential drug sales, assuming 100 percent market share, are estimated to be $338 million per annum.⁵ The current standard of care is fever and pain relief and transfer to ICUs. Dengue fever vaccines are available, but supply constraints, cost, and other factors limit their impact. 60P remains fully committed to developing potential solutions that complement available vaccines, provide relief to dengue patients, and substantially reduce economic costs associated with the disease.

Dengue fever treatment

• 3.9 billion people at risk, infecting nearly 390 million people annually, with 96 million of those infections being symptomatic^2,3
  • 2 million to 3 million severe cases and 25,000 deaths per year worldwide⁵
• Economic burden per annum is US$8.9 billion;⁴ incidences have increased with alarming pace, and expanded regions are affected
• Dengue vaccine approved in Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines is only partially effective⁵
• No therapeutics approved by regulators are available to treat symptomatic disease¹

World Distribution of Dengue Fever

3-month dengue case notification rate per 100,000, May-July 2022.⁶

References: 1. Dengue and Severe Dengue Fact sheet. Geneva: World Health Organization; Updated January 10, 2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dengue-and-severe-dengue. Accessed August 15, 2022. 2. Brady OJ, Gething PW, Bhatt S, et al. Refining the global spatial limits of dengue virus transmission by evidence-based consensus. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2012;6:e1760. doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001760. 3. Bhatt S, Gething PW, Brady OJ, et.al. The global distribution and burden of dengue. Nature. 2013;496(7446):504-507. doi:10.1038/nature12060. 4. Shepard D, Eduardo U, Yara H, Stanaway J. The global economic burden of dengue: a systematic analysis. Lancet. 2016;16(8):935-941. 5. Dow G, Mora E. The maximum potential market for dengue drugs V 1.0. Antiviral Res. 2012:96(2):203-212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.antiviral.2012.08.011. 6. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Dengue worldwide overview. Updated July 27, 2022. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/dengue-monthly. Accessed August 15, 2022.