MANILA – Government officials and private individuals behind the Dengvaxia dengue vaccine controversy will be charged in court, Malacañang assured Tuesday.
The Department of Justice recently ended its preliminary investigation into complaints concerning deaths linked to the vaccine.
“The executive branch has taken forceful action, with the DOJ taking the lead and expected to come up with a resolution before the end of the month,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo told a press briefing.
“Appropriate charges will be lodged and pursued against government officials and private individuals found responsible by the DOJ for this failed health program for children,” he added.
A panel of prosecutors from the Justice department concluded last week its investigation into the first batch of complaints filed by the Public Attorney’s Office in April and May. The complaints involved the deaths of nine children.
Former Department of Health secretary Janette Garin, incumbent Health secretary Francisco Duque III, officers of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur and its local distributor Zuellig Pharma, and several others have been charged with imprudence resulting in homicide and torture before the DOJ.
The Justice department panel was still hearing two more batches of complaints involving 18 other deaths.
The government under the Benigno Aquino III administration initiated the nationwide dengue immunization program summer of 2016.
Dengvaxia shots worth P3.5 billion were bought for one million public school children in regions reported to have the highest number of dengue cases.
The Health department stopped the program in December 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said the vaccine puts at high risk of severe dengue recipients who had not contracted the mosquito-borne virus. More than 800,000 schoolchildren had already been inoculated at the time./PN
