Duterte to create panel to study controversial Dengvaxia vaccine

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

President Rodrigo Duterte will create a three-man panel of experts to study the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine that has been blamed for the deaths of over 60 children, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

In a Palace briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said, “The President, after much discussion, said he will create a three-man panel of experts, all Asians, no Westerners and he will be bound by the findings of these three-man experts on the issue of whether or not dengvaxia actually caused deaths.”

Last month, the Department of Health said 62 children have been reported to have died after receiving the controversial Dengvaxia vaccine under the government’s immunization program.

READ: DOH list of Dengvaxia deaths grows

The vaccine was developed by French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur.

Roque said Duterte was “constrained to seek further advice” after the conflicting testimonies of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and a panel of experts from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

“The problem of the President is although there is a finding of a PAO expert and there is a PGH panel of experts finding, as a lawyer and a former prosecutor, he knows that expert witnesses can cancel out each other’s testimonies,” Roque said.

The Palace official said Duterte wanted the experts not to have ties with the Philippine government.

“That is why he requested that the panel of experts should be foreign, should have no links absolutely with the Philippine government,” Roque said. “Pakikinggan po niya ang report at opinyon ng mga ekspertong ito nang maka-usad na tayo dito sa isyu ng Dengvaxia.”

Roque said the President is still waiting for a clear scientific finding before he could address the issue on Dengvaxia.

“Sa ngayon po nagaantay pa ng mas malinaw na scientific finding ang ating Presidente kaya nga po bubuuin niya itong three-man panel na experts para malaman talaga kung ano ang dapat gawin dito sa Dengvaxia,” the Palace spokesperson said.

“Pero samantala po ay suportado ng Presidente ang lahat ng initiatives ng DOH ngayon kasama na ‘yung paghingi ng isang batas galing sa Kongreso para magastos po ‘yung halaga na ni-refund ng Sanofi sa atin, mga P1 billion plus, para matulungan ang mga biktima ng Dengvaxia,” Roque added. /vvp