Dengvaxia experts told to disclose potential conflicts of interest

To be fair, the chairman of the House panel investigating the Dengvaxia controversy has asked health experts to voluntarily disclose their potential conflicts of interest every time they render an opinion on the matter through the media.

“The mere perception of a possible conflict of interest in this case may be enough to taint or cast doubt on the opinion of a specialist, regardless of his or her credentials,” said Surigao del Sur Representative Johnny Pimentel, chairman of the House good government and public accountability committee.

Pimentel made the statement after it was revealed that former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, who has publicly spoken and written about the Dengvaxia case, also serves on the 11-member board of trustees of the Zuellig Family Foundation.

“We actually have two multinational pharmaceutical companies involved here, not just one,” Pimentel said, referring to Sanofi S.A., the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, and Sanofi’s Dengvaxia distributor, Zuellig Pharma Holdings Pte. Ltd.

The lawmaker acknowledged that the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry “are to some degree connected.”

Practicing physicians both in government and the private sector tend to receive many offers from the pharmaceutical industry, such as advanced overseas scholarships, subsidized participation in international conferences and lucrative consultancies, according to Pimentel.

“This is how moneyed pharmaceutical firms grow their influence - by cultivating gainful relationships with physicians and regulators who also happen to be doctors,” he said.

“In this case, it is quite possible a number of experts offering their opinion on the controversy may owe either Sanofi or Zuellig, or both, a debt of gratitude, which should be voluntarily disclosed in the interest of impartiality,” Pimentel said.

Pimentel’s committee is looking into the previous administration’s questionable purchase of some three million doses or P3.5-billion worth of Dengvaxia vaccines in January 2016.

Under the administration of then-President Benigno Aquino and then-Health Secretary Janet Garin, the Philippines became the first country in the world to launch in April 2016 a public inoculation plan against dengue using Dengvaxia.

However, in November 2017, Sanofi released the negative findings of its long-term follow-up study which showed that children who never had dengue but who were given Dengvaxia shots had an increased risk of a severe case and hospitalization from the third year after immunization.

The Department of Health (DOH) has since suspended the anti-dengue immunization drive, after Sanofi conceded that the shots could worsen symptoms for vaccinated children who contracted the disease for the first time.

More than 830,000 Filipino school children had already received their Dengvaxia shots by the time the DOH suspended the immunization drive.

Without admitting any wrongdoing, Sanofi last month reimbursed the DOH the amount of P1.16billion for the unused doses of Dengvaxia. (Press Rel ease)