Hontiveros dares Sanofi to compensate all kids who got Dengvaxia

Senator Risa Hontiveros. INQUIRER FILE / RICHARD A. REYES 

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday challenged Sanofi Pasteur to compensate all the children given the Dengvaxia vaccine on top of refunding the P1.4 billion for the unused vaccine.

In a statement, Hontiveros said that while she welcomed the French pharmaceutical company’s move to reimburse the cost of the unused Dengvaxia, she asserted that the “ethical response is for Sanofi to do more.”

“Reimbursement is not enough. Over and above its plan to pay back the government for unused Dengvaxia vials, I call on Sanofi to shoulder the health needs of the affected children and compensate their families. Even pending the result of the evaluation by medical experts on whether or not the deaths were caused by Dengvaxia, it is clear that Sanofi, of its own admission, is guilty of implementing an immunization program that could do more harm than good to our children,” Hontiveros said.

“Sanofi should bear all the legal and ethical responsibilities that have resulted from the firm’s negligence. The cost after all, is more than just money. There was clear negligence, and the responsible thing to do is for Sanofi to see to the health needs of the affected and compensate their families for the harm they have caused. Regaining the trust of the public is a far more important investment,” Hontiveros added.

About 800,000 people, mostly children, were given Dengvaxia from April 2016 to November 2017.

Earlier, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III urged the Department of Health (DOH) to demand from Sanofi the full P3.5-billion cost of the contract.

On Monday, the pharmaceutical giant agreed to refund the cost of unused Dengvaxia three days after the DOH sent a demand letter to Sanofi.

The Philippines was the first country in Asia to approve the use of the vaccine in December 2015.

In April 2016, the DOH, under then-Health Secretary Janette Garin’s watch, bought vaccines for public schoolchildren in areas with high incidences of dengue.

The vaccination drive was stopped by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III when Sanofi bared in November 2017 that Dengvaxia could worsen the symptoms of the disease for people who never had dengue.

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