Sanofi declines full Dengvaxia refund, indemnification fund for 2nd time

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur on Monday once again declined a demand from the Philippine government to reimburse the entire P3.5-billion spent on its anti-dengue vaccines in 2016 and financially support indemnification fund. (Pixabay photo)

French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasteur on Monday once again declined a demand from the Philippine government to reimburse the entire P3.5-billion spent on its anti-dengue vaccines in 2016 and financially support indemnification fund.

The drug manufacturer said it responded to a request from the Department of Health (DOH) for refund and indemnification fund, however, rejected it for the second time.

“As we did in our previous reply to the DOH on 5 February, 2018, we respectfully declined both requests. We stand firmly behind our product. Refunding the used doses of Dengvaxia would imply that the vaccine is ineffective, which is not the case. And at this time, there is also no known circumstance requiring indemnification,” Sanofi said in a statement.

Last month, Sanofi agreed to refund the government the cost of unused dengue vaccine, which the DOH demanded.

The manufacturer said it will pay back P1.4-billion worth of the dengue vials.

But when the Philippines demanded a full refund worth P3.5-billion spent on its anti-dengue vaccines, Sanofi “respectfully declined” to pay it back, saying that “agreeing to refund the used doses of Dengvaxia would imply that the vaccine is ineffective, which is not the case.”

The French firm, however, said they are open for a discussion with the Health department “to find other ways we can assist their efforts to combat dengue in the Philippines and restoring public trust in vaccines.”

Sanofi earlier paid an initial P1.16-billion refund for unused Dengvaxia doses. The DOH on Thursday said they will ask the Philippine government to use a portion of the P1-billion refund to assist the parents of the vaccinated children.

According to Duque, an estimated P600-million from the reimbursement will be requested, but said the exact amount will still be calculated. As part of the assistance, parents of the children will also receive limited medical kits from the DOH.

The Health Secretary is asking for the parents’ patience as the department undergoes legal motions to procure and fund the medical kits.

The dengue vaccination program launched in April 2016 by former Health Secretary Janette Garin aims to provide free vaccines to public school students in places with high incidences of Dengue.

However, this program was called off after the pharmaceutical giant admitted that its vaccine could lead to severe dengue if administered to a person who had not been infected with the virus.

At least 830,000 public school students In Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon had been vaccinated under the government’s immunization program.