Sanofi Pasteur rejects refund for used Dengvaxia doses

February 5, 2018

Sanofi Pasteur said they have declined the request of the Department of Health (DOH) to refund the used doses of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia amounting to almost P2 billion. "Agreeing to refund the used doses of Dengvaxia would imply that the vaccine is ineffective, which is not the case," said Sanofi Pasteur in a statement on Monday. The pharmaceutical giant said the  dengue vaccine is effective. "The data remains quite clear that, in absolute terms, dengue vaccination in the Philippines will provide a net reduction in dengue disease, including severe dengue and, thereby, reduce the overall public health burden associated with this disease," the drug company said. In a hearing Monday at the House of Representatives,  Thomas Triomphe, Asia Pacific head of Sanofi Pasteur told lawmakers: "The vaccine is effective and we strongly believe  that reimbursing the used doses will give the wrong signal  and will create more concern and fear in the parents and the people who have been immunized. Triomphe added that the "positive effect of the immunization has been provided and reimbursing the used doses will be de facto admitting that the vaccine is ineffective, which is not the case." But Sanofi Pasteur said they willing to provide new doses of the vaccine free if the Department of Health  reinstates the community-based dengue vaccination program. "These new doses would allow people, who previously received one or two doses of the vaccine in the public program, to complete the three-dose schedule and, thus, have the opportunity to benefit from the full potential of Dengvaxia’s ability to protect against dengue," said Sanofi Pasteur. The health department had demanded Sanofi Pasteur refund the amount paid for the used dengue vaccines, citing the lack of protection it promised. This came after Sanofi Pasteur had agreed to refund the P1.4 billion for the unused doses of Dengvaxia in exchange for the their return by the health department. The health department is also asking Sanofi Pasteur establish an indemnification fund for children, who may be hospitalized after being immunized with the dengue vaccine. This was rejected by Sanofi Pasteur citing the absence of safety or quality concerns about Dengvaxia as its reason. The firm cited initial results of the Philippine General Hospital - Dengue Investigate Task Force (PGH-DITF) on its investigation on the deaths of 14 dengue vaccine recipients. "The UP-PGH expert panel declared again on Friday that there is no evidence directly linking the Dengvaxia vaccine to any of the 14 deaths," said Sanofi Pasteur. The drug company reiterated its offer to provide assistance to those that will be proven to have been adversely affected by Dengvaxia. "Should there be any case of injury due to dengue that has been demonstrated by credible scientific evidence to be causally related to vaccination, we will assume responsibility," assured Sanofi Pasteur. DMS