Duterte not prepared to condemn anybody on Dengvaxia controversy

December 13, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday he was not ready to pass judgment on the controversial anti-dengue vaccine program which was initially implemented by the Aquino administration.

Duterte told reporters in Taguig City that he was not an expert to say that some children who reportedly died of dengue were due to the Dengvaxia vaccine, which was manufactured by French pharmaceutical Sanofi Pasteur.

"I do not assume that those deaths are already automatically connected with the side or toxic effects of (Dengvaxia)," he said.

"Unless there is an investigation and the person whom we are trying to attribute the responsibility is given the chance to be heard and to air their findings in public. Anyway, we have another set of experts who said that this is good. On the other hand, the manufacturer, it is a refutable company in the world of drug manufacturing," Duterte said.

Duterte said he did not think that Sanofi "will be ready to destroy a billion dollar business just for one lousy… If there is a failure, let them sort it out."

He also said Congress is doing an investigation where experts who are available in the Philippines could be invited.

"If not, they can always commission another body to come up with an independent study," he said.

"I cannot blame anybody. I am not prepared to condemn anybody there simply because we bought it...so I am not prepared to pass judgment. I can only inquire and hope that everything will give us the truth because anything here in this planet requires truth," Duterte added.

The Department of Health has suspended the anti-dengue vaccination program after Sanofi recently revealed that patients who were not infected before by dengue but were given Dengvaxia have high risk of suffering from severe diseases. Celerina Monte/DMS