Former President Benigno Aquino III said that during the two meetings he had with Dengvaxia makers Sanofi Pasteur while he was president, he was not given information on the various controversial issues the French pharmaceutical giant was involved in.
In a joint hearing of the Senate blue ribbon, health, and finance committees on Thursday, Senator Richard Gordon asked Aquino if he had knowledge of the irregularities Sanofi was linked to.
He asked, “I just want to point out – without casting aspersion on your character – that when you meet with drug companies like these…I would imagine that through no vote of your own, you were not briefed on your first meeting with China in APEC, sir?”
To which Aquino replied to with, “On the allegations or charges against Sanofi, both for the China meeting nor the Paris meeting was I informed of any of these.”
Aquino and Sanofi officials met on November 9, 2014, in Beijing, China, and on December 1, 2015, in Paris, France.
The former president also stood by his decision to approve the procurement of Dengvaxia.
“I would like to emphasize, before the government decided on Dengvaxia, while deciding, after deciding and until now, I have not received any objections against the vaccine,” he said.
Aquino added that his administration launched the immunization program in NCR, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon because according to the data of the Department of Health (DOH), these were the top three dengue-affected regions.
(DAILY NEWS ROUND UP FOR 12/ 14 / 17)