The Situation
Dengue puts half the world’s population at risk, causing 100 to 400 million infections and 20,000 deaths annually across more than 100 countries. The first dengue vaccine, Sanofi’s Dengvaxia, triggered a nationwide scandal in the Philippines after children’s deaths were linked to the immunization program. Public trust in vaccines collapsed. The controversy made international news and cast a shadow over any future dengue vaccine attempt in the region.
Takeda was preparing to launch TAK-003, its own dengue vaccine with 73.3 percent overall efficacy and no requirement for prior screening. But the brand had minimal mentions across APAC, with 62 percent of existing coverage concentrated in Singapore. Launching a dengue vaccine in a post-Dengvaxia landscape meant rebuilding trust across five countries simultaneously, in a category where the last product had become synonymous with harm.
The Approach
Phase 1: APAC Media Landscape Mapping & Social Listening
Deployed media monitoring and social listening across the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore to understand how dengue and vaccine conversations had shifted post-Dengvaxia. Identified core themes (outbreaks, vaccines, key opinion leaders, vector control) and mapped the conversation dynamics in each country to determine where and how Takeda could enter the dialogue.
Phase 2: iSCAP Framework Development
Created the TAK-003 integrated Scientific Communications and Advocacy Plan (iSCAP), a multi-country framework designed to establish Takeda as a credible vaccine provider and contributor to the dengue conversation. The plan structured stakeholder engagement, content development, and media consulting across all five APAC countries with country-specific approaches tailored to each market’s regulatory and media landscape.
Phase 3: Press Release Development & Ongoing PR Consultation
Developed press releases and seeded coverage across APAC markets, providing ongoing PR consultation to Takeda‘s regional team. Reports based on identified themes offered specific recommendations on how Takeda could engage in the digital space in each country, ensuring the brand entered conversations at the right moment with the right message.
Phase 4: Regulatory Support Across APAC Markets
Worked alongside Takeda‘s PR team to support the testing and authorization process with regulatory bodies in each country. This sustained, multi-year effort ensured that the communications strategy remained aligned with the regulatory timeline, building public readiness for the vaccine as approvals progressed.
The Results
- Qdenga approved Takeda secured dengue vaccine approval in Indonesia after five years of campaign work
- 5 countries Strategic communications managed across Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore
- 73.3% TAK-003 overall efficacy rate communicated to build confidence in a post-Dengvaxia market
Campaign Highlights:
- iSCAP framework structured stakeholder engagement and content development across all five APAC countries
- Media monitoring and social listening tracked dengue conversation dynamics in each market continuously
- Country-specific digital engagement recommendations ensured messaging matched local conversation contexts
- Regulatory support aligned communications timeline with vaccine testing and authorization milestones
- Takeda now positioned for global market expansion following the Indonesian Qdenga approval
The Takeaway
When the previous product in your category caused a national crisis, you don’t launch. You listen, build credibility, and earn the right to be heard over five years before the product reaches market. Takeda‘s Qdenga approval in Indonesia was the result of patient, evidence-based communications that started long before the vaccine was ready.
- Industry: Healthcare
- Service: Strategic Planning
- Solution: For International Brands Entering PH
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you launch a vaccine in a region traumatized by a vaccine scandal?
By rebuilding trust before you launch the product. Takeda‘s five-year campaign started with listening and stakeholder engagement, not product promotion. The iSCAP framework established Takeda as a credible voice in the dengue conversation long before Qdenga was ready for market. Trust has to precede the ask.
Why manage communications across five APAC countries simultaneously?
Because dengue is a regional disease and the Dengvaxia scandal was international news. Each country had different conversation dynamics, regulatory timelines, and levels of vaccine hesitancy. A single-country approach would have left Takeda exposed in markets where the dengue vaccine conversation was already happening without them.
What is an iSCAP and why did this campaign need one?
The integrated Scientific Communications and Advocacy Plan (iSCAP) was a multi-country strategic framework that structured all of Takeda‘s dengue communications. It ensured that stakeholder engagement, content development, and media consulting in each APAC market were coordinated under a single strategy while being adapted to local contexts.
How does PR support a pharmaceutical regulatory approval process?
By building public and stakeholder readiness alongside the regulatory timeline. When Qdenga received approval in Indonesia, the market was already familiar with Takeda‘s dengue credentials because five years of communications had established the brand’s scientific credibility before the product was available.
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