By William Horobin

PARIS--French drug company Sanofi SA said Wednesday its candidate for a dengue vaccine was effective in 60.8% of cases in a Phase 3 study in Latin America.

Sanofi said the study of 20,875 children and adolescents in the region also showed the trial vaccine was effective against each of the four serotypes of dengue, a disease transmitted by mosquitoes that threatens nearly half the world's population.

"For the first time ever, after 20 years of research and industrial commitment, dengue is set to become a vaccine-preventable disease," said Olivier Charmeil, chief executive of Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi.

Sanofi said there was also a 80.3% reduction in the risk of hospitalization due to dengue during the study.

The drug maker, which has conducted similar trials in Asia, said data from studies involving more than 40,000 people in 15 countries will be submitted to health authorities in countries where dengue is a priority.

Write to William Horobin at william.horobin@wsj.com

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