Sanofi rejects DOH’s appeal for refund of used Dengvaxia, support for indemnity fund

MANILA, Philippines — Sanofi Pasteur has declined the requests of the health department to reimburse the used doses of Dengvaxia and support an indemnity fund to help the families of children who received the controversial anti-dengue vaccine.

In a statement Monday, the French pharmaceutical giant said that agreeing to refund the used doses of Dengvaxia “would imply that the vaccine is ineffective."

“The data remains quite clear that, in absolute terms, dengue vaccination in the Philippines will provide a net reduction in dengue disease, including severe dengue, and thereby, reduce the overall public health burden associated with this disease,” Sanofi said.

Last month, the company agreed to refund the unused Dengvaxia vials worth P1.4 billion. It, however, maintained that the decision to heed the DOH’s demand is “not related to any safety or quality with Dengvaxia."

Should the health department decide to relaunch the mass vaccination program, Sanofi vowed that it would be willing to provide new doses of the vaccine for free.

In a letter to Sanofi Pasteur head for Asia Pacific Thomas Triomphe dated January 26, DOH demanded full refund of all the vaccines.

READ: DOH demands full reimbursement for Dengvaxia dengue vaccine

Indemnification fund

Sanofi said it declined DOH’s request to financially support an indemnification fund for the families of the affected children because “there are no safety or quality concerns about the Dengvaxia vaccine.

It cited the review of the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, which found out that only three of the 14 children who died after being vaccinated with Dengvaxia contracted dengue.

READ: Only 3 of 14 Dengvaxia-linked deaths due to dengue, says UP-PGH panel

“Sanofi Pasteur has always followed the highest ethical standards and should there be any case of injury due to dengue that has been demonstrated by credible scientific evidence to be causally related to vaccination, we will assume responsibility,” it said.

The company added that it is looking forward to a continued dialogue with the Philippine government.

More than 830,000 people have been vaccinated with Dengvaxia since it was launched during the term of former DOH secretary Janette Garin.

The Dengvaxia fiasco has sparked public panic, with many parents refusing their children to get immunized. 

The House of the Representative has resumed its probed into the dengue vaccine controversy Monday.