6th Asia Dengue Summit a success

6th Asia Dengue Summit –15 & 16 June, Bangkok, Thailand

Attended by Kimer Med’s Business Development Manager, Dr Mike Schmidt, the annual Dengue Summit presents an opportunity for Dengue researchers, health professionals and others in the field to come together and share the latest information in the hope that it will lead to better prevention and control of this significant global health threat.

Kimer Med’s reasons for attending were primarily to learn more about the international Dengue treatment market, stay updated on the latest vaccine and antiviral developments, and meet with collaborators and supporters as we continue our work to develop a cure for Dengue and establish clinical trials in Asia in the not-too-distant future.

Sessions included topics such as Dengue epidemiology, Dengue virology and immunology, Flaviviruses, vaccines and treatment strategies.

There were 450 summit attendees, including industry representatives from the pharmaceutical and diagnostic sectors as well as NGOs.

Outside of the networking opportunities the Summit provided, Mike was also able to meet with a number of opinion leaders, international health officials, and potential customers for Kimer Med’s Dengue antiviral, as well as leading academics from Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore and the U.K.

The atmosphere of the conference was friendly and inclusive, with a sincere desire to address the scourge of Dengue at every level – vaccines, vector control and antivirals.

Mike reported that antivirals were under-represented and Kimer Med’s VTose product was welcome news to many attendees.

He said, “it definitely caught their attention and I was able to make a lot of new connections who will help us in the development of our Dengue antiviral.”

Dr Mike Schmidt (right) with Punnawit Phongpitchanont, External Affairs Consultant with DNDi (Drugs for Neglected Diseases Institute).
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Key Facts about Dengue:

• Dengue is a viral infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes

• About half of the world’s population is now at risk of dengue with an estimated 400 million infections occurring each year

• Dengue is now endemic (regularly occurring) in 129 countries

• Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas

• Dengue can be asymptomatic or produce only mild illness, and it can also cause more severe cases, and even result in death

• There is currently no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, so an antiviral is highly sought after

• Kimer Med is developing an antiviral medication for Dengue.