With Approval For Dengue Vaccine, Takeda May Find It Challenging To Compete Bigger Rivals: Report

Last week, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd's TAK dengue vaccine, Qdenga, was approved in Indonesia for individuals six to 45 years of age.
Qdenga is the only dengue vaccine approved in Indonesia for use in individuals regardless of previous dengue exposure and without needing pre-vaccination testing.
The Financial Times writes that the approval for Takeda's dengue fever vaccine in Indonesia marks a significant step toward the company's goal of creating a global vaccine business that would compete with larger rivals such as GSK Plc GSK, Sanofi SA SNY, and Merck & Co Inc MRK.
Gary Dubin, president of Takeda's global vaccine business, said the vaccine could generate up to $1.6 billion in annual sales.
As per analysts, Takeda may face a challenge in delivering on its decade-old strategy to compete with more established international rivals in the global vaccine market.
"Vaccines are a very tough business because you have well-established incumbents such as GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi, and the barriers to entry are high," said Roger Song, an analyst at Jefferies.
Citigroup analyst says that Takeda follows a step-by-step approach on vaccines to avoid significant risks to invest aggressively in everything.
Price Action: TAK shares are up 0.36% at $13.82 on the last check Tuesday.