Sanofi must be held responsible, health officials accountable: senator

Aside from Sanofi, Hontiveros said that health officials should be held accountable. (Photo by Joseph Vidal via Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA— A senator on Monday said that pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur should be held responsible for negligence after it released an analysis that its dengue vaccine could pose risks for people who have not been previously infected by the virus.

Sanofi’s vaccine, Dengvaxia, was licensed for use in the Philippines by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2015.

However, the Department of Health (DOH) stopped its implementation after Sanofi released its recent analysis.

Senator Risa Hontiveros said that Sanofi bears the legal and ethical responsibility to shoulder the health needs of the affected children and fully compensate their families.

“Sanofi urged to shoulder health needs of affected children, provide full compensation,” Hontiveros, vice chair of the Senate Committee on Health, said in a press statement.

Aside from Sanofi, Hontiveros said that health officials should be held accountable.

Hontiveros said that the DOH should explain how the vaccine was acquired and why it failed to heed the apprehension and warnings of medical experts on its potential dangers.

“Implementing an immunization program that could do more harm than good to our children is the height of negligence that could border on the criminal,” she added.

Identify kids given vaccine

Hontiveros, meanwhile, urged the government to identify the thousands of children affected by the dengue vaccine that poses more risks for people who have not been infected by the virus before immunization by creating a database.

“We need a database to identify the 70,000 affected children and know where they are exactly located in order for the government to keep track of their health and prepare the needed resources and logistics that will allow for quick and appropriate medical responses, if needed. This is our most urgent task. ,” Hontiveros said.

Reports showed that the Philippines under the previous administration implemented a national school-based, anti-dengue immunization program in 2016 using Dengvaxia.

Over 700,000 Grade 4 pupils (at least nine years old) in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and the National Capital Region have been given the dengue vaccine. Of the total number, health officials said that 70,000 are at risk.

Under the Duterte administration, the program was expanded to Region 7. Children aged nine to 14 in Cebu province were administered the first dose of the vaccine.

“Our primary concern right now should be the health and welfare of all those children exposed to unnecessary risk as a result of the immunization program,” Hontiveros said.