Senate President Koko Pimentel yesterday urged the Department of Health to demand a refund of the entire P3.5-billion contract from Sanofi Pasteur over the cost of Dengvaxia medicines purchased during the Aquino administration.
Pimentel’s statement came on the heels of DoH’s announcement that it has formally issued demand letters asking the French pharmaceutical company and maker of the Dengvaxia vaccines to refund the R1.4-billion cost of the vaccines that are unused.
The Senate leader said the government should pursue a full refund and not just over all unused vials.
“All the vaccines were defective from the very beginning. Therefore, under our laws, we should demand the whole P3.5-billion we paid them and not just part of it,” said Pimentel.
“The Civil Code says you can have a defective product replaced or refunded. Since there is no possible replacement for the vaccine, refund is the only option,” Pimentel stressed.
And even if Sanofi pays the full amount, the Senate leader said this does not release them from any liabilities that may arise after putting more than 800,000 children at risk for severe dengue.
Pimentel noted the Philippines is the first country in Asia to approve the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine in a national immunization program since the anti-dengue program was approved by the government in December 2015.
The government’s anti-dengue program was launched on April 2016 among public school children in areas with high incidences of dengue. More than 800,000 children had been vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
But last November 2017, Sanofi released a statement saying that the vaccine increases risks of contracting severe dengue for those who have never been infected with the dreaded disease. This prompted the DoH to immediately suspend the program. (Hannah L. Torregoza)
