(Eagle News) — Sanofi Pasteur has refused to give a full refund of the P3.5 billion the government spent on the controversial vaccine Dengvaxia.
“Agreeing to refund the used doses of Dengvaxia would imply that the vaccine is ineffective, which is not the case,” Sanofi said in a statement.
According to the pharmaceutical company, “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.”
It also cited the results of the study done by the University of the Philippines Philippine General Hospital panel on the 14 children who were administered the vaccine.
It said the panel concluded that “there is no evidence directly linking the Dengvaxia® vaccine to any of the 14 deaths.”
“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,” the company said.
As to why the company agreed to give a P1.16 billion refund to the government for the unused vaccine doses, the company said “we did so to show our continued commitment to cooperate with the Department of Health in ensuring the best possible health outcomes for the people of the Philippines.”
“This decision was not due to any safety or quality concerns about the Dengvaxia vaccine,” the company argued.
It added that should the Department of Health decide to use the vaccine in a national vaccination program after a complete evaluation, the company would be willing to give these doses for free.
“These new doses would allow people who previously received one or two doses of the vaccine in the public program to complete the 3-dose schedule and, thus, have the opportunity to benefit from the full potential of Dengvaxia’s ability to protect against dengue,” Sanofi Pasteur said.
“Sanofi Pasteur will continue to work with the Philippines regulatory authorities, Department of Health and all other health and community organizations to collaborate and cooperate in finding the best solution for integrated dengue prevention in the Philippines. We look forward to a continued dialogue with the Philippine government,” it added.