Takeda bets on Brazil to expand dengue vaccine sales - Valor International

Takeda, the pharmaceutical company responsible for the Qdenga vaccine against dengue fever, signed a new contract with the Ministry of Health in June to supply 18 million doses of the vaccine over the next two years. The pharmaceutical company, which manufactures the vaccine in Germany, said it has the capacity to deliver a larger volume if necessary. There are expectations of an increase in dengue cases in the second half of the year due to El Niño, which is expected to bring more rainfall to Brazil’s South and Southeast regions.

“We have the production capacity to increase output, if necessary, in line with demand from the Ministry of Health and, obviously, the private market,” said Rodrigo Rodriguez, CEO of Takeda Brasil, who took over the position in April last year after joining the pharmaceutical company as a human resources trainee.

Between 2024 and 2027, the pharmaceutical company expects to deliver 33.6 million doses in Brazil. The new contract to distribute 18 million doses of the vaccine through the country’s public health system, SUS, was valued at R$1.5 billion.

Currently, Takeda is the only pharmaceutical company with a vaccine against the disease. In June, the Ministry of Health halted immunization with the vaccine developed by the Butantan Institute following reports of various adverse reactions. Six months earlier, the ministry had rejected a partnership between Takeda and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) for the transfer of technology and development of Qdenga in Brazil. In 2025, Sanofi announced that it had stopped producing its vaccine due to a lack of demand.

Brazil is the fifth most important market for the pharmaceutical company, behind only the U.S., Japan, China, and Germany. The Brazilian operation is one of the company’s fastest-growing. In fiscal year 2025, pharmaceutical revenue grew 20%, and it has doubled over the past five years. The dengue vaccine accounts for a significant share, but the CEO emphasized that other medicines are equally important, including those in the gastroenterology field.

Takeda focuses on medicines that require substantial investment in research and development. In fiscal year 2025, the company reported revenue of $29 billion and invested approximately $4.5 billion in research and development.

“The vaccine is also an innovative product. We spent 20 years researching and developing it and conducting clinical trials. There have been more than 19 clinical studies, with more than 28,000 participants. Just as the vaccine represents an innovation, we have other products as well,” Rodriguez said.

Takeda has recently gone through a restructuring phase involving workforce reductions and a global leadership change following an 18-month transition. The Brazilian executive, who led the Middle East operation for the five years before taking his current position, says the pharmaceutical company is now entering a significant growth phase, including in Brazil, driven by drug approvals from regulatory authorities such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Brazil’s Health Regulatory Agency (Anvisa).

“We are working with the expectation of launching nearly one [new product] per year in Brazil and introducing between three and five new therapies by 2029,” said the CEO of Takeda Brazil. The medicines will be used to treat cancer, inflammatory diseases, and type 1 narcolepsy, a chronic neurological sleep disorder.

In addition, Brazil has come onto the radar for clinical research following the regulation of the law governing the sector in mid-2025. “Brazil has a population made up of different ethnic groups, research costs are lower than in other countries, and it has robust research centers. Takeda currently has around 15 clinical studies under development in the country.”

This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.