FDA Approves Faulty Dengue Vaccine that Harmed 100,000 Children in the Philippines, Killing Some, and Prompted Lawsuits

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration just approved one of the most sought after vaccines in recent decades. It's the world's first vaccine to prevent dengue fever — a disease so painful that its nickname is "breakbone fever." The vaccine, called Dengvaxia, is aimed at helping children in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories where dengue is a problem. But this vaccine has a dark — and deadly — history. One that has led to criminal charges in the Philippines, and sparked national panic. "In total, the deaths of about 600 children who received Dengvaxia are under investigation by the Public Attorney's Office, " the South China Morning Post reported last month.

Faulty Dengue Vaccine Resulting in Deaths and Increased Diseases in Philippines Seeks FDA Approval for U.S. Market

Health Impact News reported late last year (December 2017) that vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur admitted that their vaccine for dengue (a deadly tropical disease spread mostly by mosquitoes) was defective. In a press release from France, the pharmaceutical company admitted that the vaccine is harmful to those not previously infected with dengue, and could cause children not previously infected with dengue to contract a severe case of the disease. More than 800,000 Filipino children have received at least one dose of Dengvaxia. Former Philippine President Benigno Aquino III stated recently that he would not have approved a mass immunization program in 2015 using Dengvaxia had Sanofi Pasteur, the French pharmaceutical company that developed the dengue vaccine, made known then that the drug posed risks to the health of some people. Reports of severe cases of Dengue and even some deaths have been related to the Dengvaxia vaccine, and the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) has setup "express lanes" at local hospitals to deal with illnesses and injuries due to the vaccine. In the vaccine marketing trade publication FiercePharma, it is being reported that Sanofi is not going to let the "Dengvaxia mess" in the Philippines stop them from seeking FDA approval for the vaccine to be sold in the U.S.

Sanofi Dengue Vaccine Scandal an Example of Government and Big Pharma Corruption

This is a developing news story focusing on the corruption of industry-initiated government vaccination policies. The case involves Sanofi and the launching of its Dengvaxia vaccine in a massive school-based Dengvaxia vaccination campaign in 830,000 Filipino school children. The New York Times has just published its report, noting that: “public health experts are worried that the distrust could spill over to other vaccination programs.” The Philippine government under the Benigno Aquino regime initiated a massive school-based Dengvaxia vaccination drive in January 2016, subjecting more than 830,000 children to the severe risks posed by the vaccine. Sanofi and the former Philippines’ Secretary of Health, Janette Garin ignored scientists who warned about the potentially deadly risk. More than likely, company executives had their eyes fixed on the potential $1 billion annual sales of Dengvaxia.

730,000 Filipino Children Receive Faulty Dengue Vaccine Which Causes Dengue Rather Than Preventing it

In a story that is being mostly censored in the U.S. media, vaccine manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur has admitted that their vaccine for dengue (a deadly tropical disease spread mostly by mosquitoes) is defective. In a press release from France, the pharmaceutical company admitted that the vaccine is harmful to those not previously infected with dengue, and could cause children not previously infected with dengue to contract a severe case of the disease. The Philippines was the first country in Asia to approve the vaccine for individuals aged 9 and 45 years old in December 2015. More than 730,000 Filipino children have received at least one dose of Dengvaxia, the first licensed vaccine for the virus, since the Philippine Department of Health launched the vaccination drive in schools last year.