(Eagle News) — Sanofi Pasteur on Wednesday again sought to downplay the effects of its newest advisory about its dengue vaccine, insisting that Dengvaxia was “safe and effective.”
Speaking before the House committee on good government and public accountability that is also holding an inquiry into the fiasco, Thomas Triomphe, Asia Pacific head of Sanofi Pasteur, added that there was “no cause for fear and alarm.”
“To permanently remove the vaccine from the Philippine market… would be a regression in the country’s approach to solving a major public health concern and a disservice to the Filipino people,” Triomphe said, echoing his statement in the hearing held by the Senate blue ribbon and health committees two days before.
“It is perhaps because of the clear benefit of sustained protection that even after our public disclosure, all other countries where Dengvaxia is marketed and used continue to use and market it to this very day,” Triomphe added.
The Dengvaxia snafu started when Sanofi admitted days ago that “severe cases” could occur in those who were administered the vaccine but who have not had dengue.
Sanofi said that the information came to light only recently.
Over 800,000 schoolchildren, however, have been vaccinated since then under the government’s dengue vaccination program that started in 2016, under then-President Benigno Aquino III’s administration.
