MANILA — A new batch of 10 criminal complaints were filed Tuesday with the help of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) at the Department of Justice (DOJ) against former and current health officials and others over the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine scandal, bringing the total number of such cases to 27.
The complainants were families of the following individuals who were vaccinated and died supposedly from the adverse effects of Dengvaxia — Senior Police Officer 2 Vicente Arugay Jr. and vaccinated children Crezel Ann Joy Viaros, Adeline Castroverde, Wiljen Alcontin, Eleazar Brigoli Jr., Trishanne Asona, EJ Christian Apa, Joanina Cortes, Gladimier Juevesano, and Kianah Mae Racuya.
PAO forensics chief, lawyer and doctor Erwin Erfe, said the 10 victims all showed evidence of the adverse effects following their inoculation with Dengvaxia.
The respondents in the case face charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code; torture resulting in the death of a person and torture committed against children under Republic Act 9745, the Anti-Torture Act of 2009; and the mislabeling of drugs and devices, liability for defective products, and liability for product and service imperfection under RA 7394, the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
PAO Chief Persida Acosta said Sanofi Pasteur, the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, bared on Dec. 22, 2015 the four negative side effects of Dengvaxia which are anaphylactic allergic reaction, severe dengue, viscerotropism, and neurotropism.
Apart from former health secretary Janette Garin and health Secretary Francisco Duque III also named in the charges were Department of Health (DOH) officials Dr. Vicente Belizario Jr., Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go, Dr. Gerardo Bayugo, Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, Dr. Irma Asuncion, Dr. Julius Lecciones, Dr. Joyce Ducusin, Rosalind Vianzon, and Mario Baquilod.
Health Undersecretary Herminigildo Valle was also named as a respondent in the complaint filed by the parents of Castroverde.
Likewise named as respondents in the complaints are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials Dr. Maria Lourdes Santiago and Melody Zamudio; and officials of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), namely, Drs. Socorro Lupisan and Maria Rosario Capeding.
Executives of Sanofi Pasteur and local distributor Zuellig Pharma are also included as respondents.
Sanofi Pasteur executives named as respondents are Carlito Realuyo, Stanislas Camart, Jean Louis Grunwald, Jean-Francois Vacherand, Conchita Santos, Jazel Anne Calvo, Pearl Grace Cabali, and Marie Esther De Antoni.
While, those from Zuellig Pharma are Kasigod Jamias, Michael Becker, Ricardo Romulo, Imran Babar Chugtai, Rayumund 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. (Benjamin Pulta/PNA)
