Duterte wants Sanofi to refund govt

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has thrown his support on the Department of Health’s (DoH) bid for a full refund for the dengue vaccine it brought from French pharmaceutical on Tuesday.

In a news conference, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte would go after individuals who would be found criminally responsible for the suspended dengue immunization program.

“He stands by the recommendation - sible. We want…by way of minimum, a refund of what we have paid already for the Dengvaxia,” he added.

Roque was referring to Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd’s earlier statement that the Philippine government would seek the return of Dengvaxia vaccine.

“He wants a refund of what we had paid because there was concealment of a material fact and that is that children who have not developed dengue may acquire the disease three to six years after the vaccination,”

Roque said.

Duque had said the DoH that the pharmaceutical giant cover the hospitalization of those who contract severe dengue after being vaccinated.

“We will demand the refund of the P 3.5 billion paid for the Dengvaxia, and that Sanofi set up an indemnification fund to cover the hospitalization and medical treatment for all children who might have severe dengue,” Duque said.

The DoH earlier halted the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine made its use must be strictly limited because of evidence it could worsen the disease in people with no history of dengue.

- ever, have been quick to clarify that

About 830,000 schoolchildren have received at least one dose of the vaccine under the public immunization program while 32,000 patients were vaccinated in private hospitals.

The vaccination program was launched last year by the administration of former president Benigno Aquino 3rd, making the Dengvaxia on a mass scale.

Class suit

Sanofi’s statement can be used against the company, anti-corruption advocates said Tuesday.

“That is a clear evidence already that there was really deception on a grand scale,” said Dante Jimenez, chairman of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

Jimenez said Sanofi could have been spared of blame had it indicated on the vaccine the potential risk for those with no history of infection.

“If the company was really honest it should have informed the recipient or the buyer of vaccine, in this case the Philippine government, about the potential risks,” Jimenez said in Filipino.

The VACC is locating the parents of the children who received the vaccine, in preparation for the class suit.

Jimenez said the case of grade school student Christine Mae de Guzman, who died after being inoculated with Dengvaxia, would also be a strong evidence against

Aquino to be invited

Sen. Richard Gordon on Tuesday raised the need to invite former president Benigno Aquino 3rd to shed light on his alleged in- volvement in the questionable purchase of P3.5 billion worth of anti-dengue vaccines.

Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee conducting the probe into the vaccine mess, claimed that almost all 19 members of the panel saw the need to invite Aquino in the continuation of the public hearing on December 14.

“I hope President Aquino attends the hearing on his own or [we will] invite him. I will ask the committee now to invite former president Aquino and former Budget secretary Florencio Abad,” he said.

Gordon on Monday said Aquino was not yet “off the hook” as regards his alleged culpability in the dengue vaccine scandal as he noted the former president’s sev executives prior to the procurement of Dengavaxia.

Gordon raised suspicion on the vaccine purchase because the funds used for the procurement was taken from DoH’s savings for 2015.

“To re- align the budget without getting approval from Congress, only someone from the higher- up can order this. Abad can’t walk 10 meters without the President knowing, especially with this kind of amount— P3.5 billion,” he said.