Sanofi to cooperate with NBI probe on dengue vaccine

Sanofi Pasteur Philippines on Monday said it will cooperate with the National Bureau of Investigation on its probe of the P3.5-billion dengue vaccination program of the Department of Health.

"In line with that, well of course kami naman is a very responsible company, transparent kami," Ching Santos, Sanofi Pasteur's general manager said at a press conference in Taguig City when asked to comment on the order of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to investigate DOH's dengue vaccination program.

"If we will be invited, kung ano man ang data that we have presented to the stakeholders, to FDA (Food and Drug Administration), to DOH ay 'yan din ang ipe-present namin sa ano mang ahensiya ang magtatawag sa amin para magbigay ng information. Of course we will cooperate," Santos added.

Aguirre earlier issued Department Order No. 763, tasking the NBI to investigate and build a case against those responsible for supposedly placing public health in danger.

The NBI will determine whether Sanofi has communicated with the DOH the proper warning that the vaccine should not be given to somebody who has not contracted dengue before.

Last week, Sanofi Pasteur 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.

Sanofi Pasteur is the manufacturer of Dengvaxia.

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

It 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. — RSJ, GMA News