The European Commission’s Directorate-General Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA) announced it will invest EUR 20 million, entrusted to the French development agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD), to advance the development of at least two new medicines to treat dengue, a fast-spreading disease. The project will be implemented by the non-profit research organization Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi).
Dengue poses a significant threat to human health, with 3.9 billion people at risk and cases almost doubling each year since 2021, fuelled by climate change and globalization. Despite the growing burden of the disease – including in Europe – there is still no specific antiviral medicine to treat patients.
The DG HERA-funded project includes conducting two late-stage clinical trials in high-burden countries to test the effectiveness of at least two promising drug candidates. These molecules have the potential to become effective, affordable, and globally accessible treatments that can mitigate the severity of the infection and help reduce its transmission.
‘Dengue affects about 390 million people each year and puts immense pressure on health systems in endemic countries. Rising temperatures and continued ecosystem degradation have contributed to the increase in local transmission within Europe. That is why DG HERA has identified vector-borne diseases as one of the top threats to prepare against. This project, funded through the 2025 EU4Health work programme, directly addresses our objective to strengthen preparedness for future health emergencies – not just in Europe, but also globally,’ said Florika Fink-Hooijer, Director General of DG HERA.
In the absence of specific treatments, current efforts to control dengue focus mostly on reducing the transmission by Aedes mosquitoes and deploying new vaccines developed in recent years. However, vaccine coverage remains low, and their effectiveness varies according to pre-exposure status and virus serotype; treatments are therefore an essential addition to the arsenal of health tools required to tackle the disease.
Currently, patients with severe dengue typically receive intensive supportive care in hospitals. During outbreaks, hospital wards can quickly become overwhelmed by the surge in patients. Treatments that could lessen the severity of the disease would therefore be essential tools in reducing the pressure on health systems and saving lives, especially among particularly vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, older adults, and adults with co-morbidities.
‘Medicines for dengue are urgently needed, and AFD is committed to playing a leading role in harnessing science and partnerships to deliver effective and accessible treatments that can benefit everyone, particularly in countries with fragile healthcare infrastructures. This R&D project supported by the European Commission DG HERA fully aligns with France’s Global Health Strategy (2023-2027), which is committed to combating neglected tropical diseases. AFD will leverage all its expertise and extensive experience managing health programmes to finally give humanity the dengue medicines it needs,’ said Agnès Soucat, Director of AFD’s Health and Social Protection Division.
‘France stands shoulder to shoulder with the European Union, AFD, and its technical partner DNDi to drive the development of urgently needed treatments for severe dengue – tackling a health emergency that’s not just European, but global,’ said Anne-Claire Amprou, French Ambassador for Global Health. The pressing question of how to monitor and control climate-sensitive diseases such as dengue will figure high among the topics on the agenda of the upcoming One Health Summit. The summit will be hosted by France and will take place in Lyon on World Health Day, 7 April 2026.
Despite its growing burden, the development of medicines against dengue is hindered by high research costs and insufficient private-sector investment. As dengue primarily affects low- and middle-income countries, commercial incentives are limited.
DNDi, alongside partners from the Dengue Alliance, will bring its technical expertise and long experience conducting clinical trials and developing innovative, safe, and accessible medicines. The non-profit organization has already delivered thirteen new treatments for six neglected diseases and added dengue to its portfolio in 2022.
In addition to conducting at least two clinical trials, the DG HERA-funded project includes mapping and setting up industrial partnerships to support drug development and access to potential new treatments. It will also support the establishment of a network of clinical centres and health authorities that support the Dengue Alliance, a global partnership of research institutions from dengue-affected countries including Brazil, India, Thailand, and Malaysia. These four countries will host the clinical trials needed to test the potential medicines.
‘Dengue is one of the most serious threats to human health globally, and we welcome this significant investment from the European Union to support science and bring much-needed medicines to patients,’ said Dr Luis Pizarro, Executive Director of DNDi. ‘It is an investment in a healthier, more resilient future for millions of people – in communities hit hard by dengue today and in those that will be in the years to come.’
Initial results of epidemiological studies conducted by DNDi and its partners show that dengue is also prevalent in many regions of Africa, where its burden has been thought to be low.
Contractual arrangements for the DG HERA-funded project will be finalized in the coming days, with implementation expected to begin in November 2025.
About DNDi
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) is a not-for-profit medical research organization that discovers, develops, and delivers safe, effective, and affordable treatments for neglected populations. DNDi is developing medicines for sleeping sickness, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, female genital schistosomiasis, mycetoma, dengue, paediatric HIV, cryptococcal meningitis, and hepatitis C. Its research priorities include children’s health; gender equity and gender-responsive R&D; and diseases impacted by climate change. Since its creation in 2003, DNDi has collaborated with public and private partners worldwide to deliver thirteen new treatments for six deadly diseases, saving millions of lives. dndi.org
About AFD Group
AFD Group finances and drives the transition to a fairer, safer and more resilient world, working with its partners to support communities all over the world. Drawing on the complementary strengths of its entities – Agence Française de Développement for public financing, Proparco for responsible private investment, and Expertise France for technical expertise – the Group is ideally positioned to meet all sustainable development challenges.
Working in over 160 countries, including France’s Overseas Territories and Departments, the Group adapts its operations to the realities on the ground, actively supporting local initiatives. With over 4,000 projects, whose objectives are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AFD Group works on behalf of the French people, together with all stakeholders committed to economic development and the preservation of common goods: climate, biodiversity, peace, gender equality and global health. Working by your side, toward a world in common.
About DG HERA
The DG Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (DG HERA) is a Directorate-General of the European Commission. Its mission is to ensure the development, production, procurement, and equitable distribution of key medical countermeasures (MCMs) to prevent or rapidly respond to cross-border health emergencies. It was also entrusted with responsibility for the industrial dimension of enhancing the security of supply of critical medicines in the EU.
DG HERA’s mission is to strengthen health security coordination within the Union during preparedness and crisis response times, address vulnerabilities and strategic dependencies within the Union related to the development, production, procurement, stockpiling and distribution of medical countermeasures, and reinforce the global health emergency preparedness and response architecture.
To achieve these objectives, DG HERA works closely with Member States, civil society, industry, third countries and global partners.
About EU4Health
The EU4Health programme was adopted as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to reinforce crisis preparedness in the EU. It contributes to the long-term health challenges by building stronger, more resilient and more accessible health systems. The programme had initial €5.3 billion budget for the 2021-27 period, reduced to €4.4 billion following the revision of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework, and it is an unparalleled EU financial support in the health area.
Media contacts
DNDi
Frédéric Ojardias
+41 79 431 62 16
fojardias@dndi.org
AFD Group
Chloé Odstrcil
+33 6 24 61 33 18
odstrcilc.ext@afd.fr
Photo credit: Xavier Vahed-DNDi
