No reported deaths related to dengue vaccine, says Sanofi Pasteur

French-based pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur on Monday said there are no reported deaths related to the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

"As far as we are made aware, there are no reported deaths that are related to dengue vaccination, and this is assessed by an independent expert group which is convened by the DOH which is called the National Adverse Event Following Immunization Committee," Dr. Ruby Dizon, medical director of Sanofi Pasteur, said in a press conference in Taguig City.

"We rest assured, monitoring is continuing and we are working with the DOH in collaboration to make sure this is maintained," she added.

Dizon said that all cases of "adverse events" are either reported to the Department of Health (DOH) or to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Last week, Sanofi has advised against prescribing the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia to patients who have not been infected by the virus in the past, since it was found that it may cause severe diseases in the long run.

The Department of Health has put on hold the government's dengue vaccination program after Sanofi raised health concerns on the vaccine.

The DOH said that more than 733,000 children aged 9 and above from public schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon have already received at least the first three doses of the vaccine.

But Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they have not yet received any reports of individuals experiencing a "severe case" of the disease.

Despite this, he assured that the government will be "transparent" with its findings on the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

In December 2015, the Philippines was the first Asian country to clear the dengue vaccine and approve its distribution within a month of clearing its use.

There is an ongoing Senate blue ribbon committee investigation into the government's P3.5-billion purchase of Dengvaxia, the world's first dengue vaccine, during the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III.

However, the Senate blue ribbon committee has not yet produced a report on its investigation with its chair Senator Richard Gordon saying that "the vaccine was not yet ready for distribution." —KG/KBK, GMA News