More than 70 families in the Philippines have asked the Supreme Court to compel the government to address the health risks attributed to Sanofi Pasteur’s controversial anti-dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.
Criminal complaints were filed against former Philippines president Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and former Health secretary, Janette Garin, as well as five Sanofi officials, including vice president Guillaume Leroy and CEO Olivier Brandicourt.
Sanofi’s Dengvaxia was used in the world’s first mass immunization program against dengue fever, which was started last year. Roughly 830,000 children have been vaccinated. However, earlier this month, Sanofi proposed that, based on trial data, national regulatory agencies update label information requesting that healthcare professionals assess the likelihood of prior dengue infection in an individual before vaccinating. The new prescribing information will state that for individuals who have not been previously infected by dengue virus, vaccination should not be recommended.
According to the complaint filed by the mothers and the Gabriela Women's Party (GWP), the named Philippines officials conspired with Sanofi execs in the purchasing of the vaccines in 2015, even when there was no comprehensive study yet on the efficacy and risks of the drug.
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