Sanofi Pasteur Launches IMOJEV® First Single-dose Vaccine Against Japanese Encephalitis in Australia

Sanofi Pasteur Launches IMOJEV® First Single-dose Vaccine Against Japanese Encephalitis in Australia PR Newswire MELBOURNE, Australia, December 9, 2012 MELBOURNE, Australia, December 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- - About 3 billion people living in Asia Pacific and travellers to the region are at risk of Japanese encephalitis - ®Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announced today that IMOJEV ®vaccine against Japanese encephalitis (JE) is now available in Australia. IMOJEV is the first single dose vaccine against JE for adults in Australia. For children, one dose of IMOJEV is recommended for primary immunization; the addition of a booster dose to extend the duration of protection is being assessed by Australian Health Authorities. ®IMOJEV vaccine is licensed in Australia for people from 12 months of age and older. [1] [2]About 3 billion people in the Asia Pacific Region are at risk of JE for which there is no specific treatment . In 1995 [3]the first outbreak in Australia was identified in the islands of the Torres Strait . More recently outbreaks have also occurred in Northern Queensland. JE is the leading cause of childhood viral neurological infection and disability in Asia. JE is also a potential risk for travellers to endemic areas. Over 1.5 million Australians travel to JE endemic countries of [4]the Asia Pacific region .