Garin, 9 DOH execs indicted over Dengvaxia vaccine | Inquirer News

Garin, 9 DOH execs indicted over Dengvaxia vaccine

/ 05:00 AM February 22, 2020

Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors have found probable cause to indict former Health Secretary and incumbent Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin for reckless imprudence resulting in homicide due to the deaths of eight children injected with the antidengue vaccine Dengaxia.

Also charged were nine other officials of the Department of Health, as well as former and current executives of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and Sanofi Pasteur Inc., the manufacturer of the vaccine.

The DOJ has yet to release a copy of the 78-page resolution.

Article continues after this advertisement

DOJ deputy spokesperson Assistant Secretary Neal Bainto said the panel that conducted the preliminary investigation of the second batch of Dengvaxia-related deaths issued its resolution last Wednesday.

FEATURED STORIES

Bainto said that like the resolution on the first batch of Dengvaxia cases, the panel found that there was “inexcusable lack of precaution” on the part of Garin and other respondent government officials in the “fast-tracking of the procurement process” for the vaccine despite being aware of its low efficacy results and potential risks associated with its use.

In the latest batch of cases, the panel also found sufficient evidence to indict the president of Sanofi for violating Republic Act No. 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines for manufacturing the vaccine, which posed certain risks to seronegatives, or those who have not contracted the dengue disease.

Article continues after this advertisement

Mislabeled

The Public Attorney’s Office, which represented the parents, said the children fell sick and exhibited dengue-like symptoms before they died.

Article continues after this advertisement

The panel found that the circumstances surrounding the dispensation of Dengvaxia made the vaccine a mislabeled drug and held liable the president of Sanofi and four of its other officers or directors for violating the same act.

Article continues after this advertisement

The panel also found that respondent government officials were reckless when they allowed the purchase of Dengvaxia vaccine despite red flags already known to them.

It also found out that clinical trials for the Dengvaxia vaccine were not yet completed when it was purchased and rolled out for use in the mass immunization program.

Article continues after this advertisement

Despite ongoing clinical trials, the FDA approved the vaccine’s registration.

According to the prosecutors, Garin and the other respondents were careless in implementing the mass immunization program as they failed to fully inform the Dengvaxia recipients of the nature and risks of the vaccine and obtain informed consent.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

The panel found that Sanofi indirectly admitted that Dengvaxia was a defective product due to the risk it poses to seronegatives.

TAGS: dengue, Dengvaxia, DoH

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.