New Delhi, July 21 -- India has approved its first dengue vaccine, with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) granting market authorisation to vaccine QDENGA, developed by Takeda Biopharmaceuticals India. According to Takeda, the approval marks a major step in India's fight against dengue, a mosquito-borne disease that affects millions of people every year.

It added that the vaccine is approved for people aged 4 to 60 years and can be given regardless of whether a person has previously been infected with dengue. Unlike some dengue vaccines, QDENGA does not require pre-vaccination screening, allowing eligible individuals to receive the vaccine without first being tested for past dengue infection.

The approval comes as India continu...