Duque, Garin called to ‘Dengvaxia deaths’ probe

Janette Garin (left) and Francisco Duque III

MANILA – The Department of Justice ordered dozens of people to attend a June 25 preliminary investigation into the deaths of teenagers inoculated with the controversial dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.

Among those summoned were Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and predecessor Janette Garin.

Assistant State Prosecutor Maria Emilia Victorio issued on Thursday subpoenas to 38 respondents including Duque and Garin.

Aside from attending the probe, the respondents were ordered to submit counter-affidavits and reaffirm their sworn statements.

Victorio is leading the DOJ panel looking into the criminal complaints filed by several families – with the help of the Public Attorney’s Office – over the death of nine children: Aejay Bautista, Anjielica Pestillos, Lenard Baldonado, Zandro Colite, Abbie Hedia, Jansyn Art Bataa, Mark Axel Ebonia, Reijazztine Justin Alimagno, and Alexander Jaime.

The PAO had been performing autopsies of people whose deaths were linked to Dengvaxia. On Thursday it submitted to the DOJ evidence in a bid to prove that manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur admitted as early as 2015 that the vaccine carried risks.

The admission, described under “four important identified risks,” was contained in Sanofi’s reply to the clarification sought by the National Formulary in December 2015, PAO chief Persida Acosta said.

The “four important identified risks” were allergic/anaphylactic reaction; viscerotropism (multiple organ dysfunction) and neurotropism (attack on nervous tissue); waning protection against dengue disease; and increase in severity of dengue disease.

The last one was already made known to the public, especially among those who had no prior history of dengue, Acosta said.

Despite this, she said, the Department of Health insisted on its massive anti-dengue vaccination drive using Dengvaxia.

In the complaints, the families accused the respondents of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code; torture resulting in the death of a person and the torture of a child under Republic Act (RA) 9745, also known as the Act Penalizing Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment; obstruction of justice under Section 1(b) of Presidential Decree No. 1829; and violation of Section 3 of RA 3019, or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Duque, along with Dr. Maria Lourdes Santiago and Melody Zamudio, was facing two criminal complaints. He was also charged with obstruction of justice in a previous complaint.

Aside from Duque and Garin, also named respondents were DOH officials Vicente Belizario Jr., Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Gerardo Bayugo, Lyndon Lee Suy, Irma Asuncion, Julius Lecciones, Joyce Ducusin, and Rosalind Vianzon; Maria Lourdes Santiago and Melody Zamudio of the Food and Drug Administration; and Socorro Lupisan and Maria Rosario Capending of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.

Executives of Sanofi Pasteur and distributor Zuellig Pharma Corp. were also included as respondents.

Corporate directors and officers of Sanofi named in the complaint were Carlito Realuyo, Sanislas Camart, Jean Louis Grunwald, Jean-Francois Vacherand, Conchita Santos, Jazel Anne Calvo, Pearl Grace Cabali, and Marie Esther De Antoni.

Those from Zuellig were Kasigod Jamias, Michael Becker, Ricardo Romulo, Imran Babar Chugtai, Raymund Azurin, Nilo Badiola, John Stokes Davison, Marc Franck, Ashley Gerard Antonio, Ana Liza Peralta, Rosa Maria Chua, Danilo Cahoy, Manuel Concio III, Roland Goco, and Ma. Visitacion Barreiro.

The DOH suspended the vaccination program in December 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur said the vaccine poses risks to those with no prior dengue infection. (PNA)

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