Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi Pasture urged the Philippine government Monday to lift the suspension of its dengue vaccine, arguing it is still safe, according to the U.K. Daily Mail.
In late November, the Filipino government ordered a probe into the efficacy and safeness of Sanofi's dengue vaccine, after evidence surfaced suggesting the Dengvaxia could worsen the disease in people who were not exposed to the virus prior to vaccination. Pending review of the probe, sales of the vaccine and the Philippine's public immunization program were suspended by the government.
At a Monday senate hearing in the capital of the Philippines, Sanofi's Asia-Pacific regional head, Thomas Triomphe, said that removing the vaccine from the market is a "disservice" to the public, since it is safe and effective for most Filipinos.
"[The suspension] will be a regression in the country's approach in solving a major public health concern and a disservice to the Filipino people. Doing so would in effect leave 90 percent of the population at the mercy of an epidemic which has been found to be preventable," Mr. Triomphe argued.
The Filipino government did not seem swayed by Sanofi's plea Monday and accused the French drugmaker of "mental dishonesty" about the vaccine's efficacy.
"I think they have not been forthright from the beginning," said Francisco Duque, the secretary of health in the Philippines, according to the U.K. Daily Mail. "My index of suspicion is so high. I am pregnant with doubt. We should not allow this. We are talking about the lives of children."
The Filipino government, through its government immunization program, has vaccinated nearly 830,000 children with Dengvaxia. After the reports surfaced, the government immediately said it would seek a full $3 billion pesos ($59 million) refund in court from Sanofi.