Sanofi okays P1.4-B refund for unused Dengvaxia vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur has agreed to refund P1.4-B for unused dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, a statement by the French pharmaceutical company said Monday, Jan. 15, 2018. INQUIRER FILE / EDWIN BACASMAS

Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur heeded the Department of Health’s (DOH) demand to refund P1.4 billion worth of unused anti-dengue vaccine.

“Sanofi Pasteur has responded positively to the Philippine Department of Health’s (DoH) request that we provide reimbursement for the doses of Dengvaxia that were not used by the government in the public vaccination program,” the French pharmaceutical giant said in a statement on Monday.

But Sanofi denied that their decision was related to any “safety or quality issue with Dengvaxia.”

“Our decision to reimburse for unused doses is not related to any safety or quality issue with Dengvaxia®. Rather Sanofi Pasteur hopes that this decision will allow us to be able to work more openly and constructively with the DoH to address the negative tone towards the dengue vaccine in the Philippines today,” it said.

“Sanofi Pasteur strongly believes that this tone is due to a misunderstanding of the benefits and risks associated with the dengue vaccine and a lack of awareness amongst the general public, particularly parents of vaccinated children, that the overall benefit of dengue vaccination remains positive in high endemic countries like the Philippines,” it added.

The pharmaceutical company also said they requested for a meeting with the DOH to discuss any questions on the reimbursement, and to “find ways to inform the Filipino public in a more balanced and evidence-based way on dengue vaccination while also restoring public trust in vaccination programs, in general.”

Last Jan. 12, the DOH sent a demand letter to Sanofi to refund the P1.4 billion worth of unused Dengvaxia vaccine. /cbb

READ: DOH demands P1.4-B refund from Sanofi over ‘defective’ Dengvaxia

In December 2015, the Philippines became the first country in Asia to approve the use of the vaccine.

Four months later, the DOH, under then-Health Secretary Janette Garin, bought vaccines for public schoolchildren in places with high incidences of dengue.

But the vaccination drive was halted by current Health Secretary Francisco Duque III when Sanofi bared in November 2017 that Dengvaxia could worsen symptoms of dengue in people who had not been previously infected by the virus.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee is currently probing the procurement of Dengvaxia.

Last Sunday, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III urged DOH to not just ask for a refund on unused Dengvaxia vaccines, but for the P3.5 billion cost of the entire contract. /cbb