Philippines to sue Sanofi over dengue vaccine after warning triggers widespread concern for drug’s effectiveness

Regulators froze the world-first public immunisation programme last week and suspended all sales after the firm said Dengvaxia could worsen symptoms

Reading Time:2 minutes

Demonstrators hold up posters and shout slogans during a rally in front of the Department of Health office in Manila, following the suspension of the sale and distribution of Sanofi's dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. Photo: AFP

Published: 4:33pm, 7 Dec 2017Updated: 4:33pm, 7 Dec 2017

The Philippines intends to sue pharmaceutical giant Sanofi after authorities suspended its anti-dengue vaccine in response to the company warning the drug could lead to severe infections in some cases, the health secretary said on Thursday.

Regulators froze the Philippines’ world-first public dengue immunisation programme last week and suspended all sales of the vaccine on Monday after Sanofi said Dengvaxia could worsen symptoms for vaccinated people who contracted the disease for the first time.

“Eventually it’s the court of law that is going to decide in so far as the liability of Sanofi is concerned,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said on ABS-CBN television.

The previous administration of president Benigno Aquino launched the vaccination programme last year, making the Philippines the first nation to use Dengvaxia on a mass scale.

Vials of the anti-dengue vaccine Dengvaxia were recalled from local Philippine government health centres. Photo: AP

About 830,000 schoolchildren had received at least one dose of the vaccine, Duque said on Thursday. Previously the government said more than 733,000 people had been vaccinated.

Sanofi’s announcement last week caused great concern in the Philippines – where the mosquito-borne disease is extremely prevalent.