The UN body adds it never recommended Dengvaxia for use in national immunization programs
(Eagle News) — The World Health Organization on Tuesday said that the Philippines’ Department of Health–then under the Aquino administration—decided to roll out the controversial dengue vaccine before the body made its advice on the matter public.
In a statement, the WHO added that it never made any recommendation to introduce Dengvaxia in the immunization programs of countries in the first place, noting that it even “outlined a series of considerations national governments should take into account in deciding whether to introduce the vaccine, based on a review of available data at the time, along with possible risks.”
These “considerations,” the WHO said, were included in a position paper the body released in July 2016.
The vaccine was rolled out in the Philippines mid-April 2016 as part of the national government’s immunization program.
The program saw up to 733,000 public school children in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon receive three doses of Dengvaxia, considered the world’s first-ever dengue vaccine.
In the July 2016 position paper, the WHO noted among others that administration of the vaccine should only be considered in areas where a high proportion of the community was already exposed to the virus (preferably at least 70 percent); that people to be administered the vaccine should receive three doses; and that the vaccine should only be given to people aged 9 and older.
“WHO acknowledged mid-April 2016 that these conditions appeared to be met in the 3 regions of the Philippines in which the dengue vaccination effort was already ongoing at that time — noting that the decision to roll out the vaccine had been taken by the DOH before WHO’s advice became available,” the body said.
It added that in this case, a suspension of the dengue vaccination program in the Philippines “is appropriate in the circumstances.”
The Dengvaxia snafu started when Sanofi Pasteur, the drug manufacturer, admitted that “serious cases” could occur in people given the vaccine if they were not previously afflicted with the dengue virus.
Sanofi made the admission only last week, years after it first rolled out the vaccine in the Philippines.
In its defense, Sanofi said that the new data only came out in subsequent studies.