Three more criminal complaints have been filed against former Health Secretary Janette Garin and 39 others in connection with deaths allegedly linked to the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia.
Through the Public Attorney’s Office, parents of the victims from Las Piñas, Bulacan, and Manila accused Garin and other respondents of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of the anti-torture law and of the Consumer Act before the Department of Justice.
The latest complaints bring the number of similar cases to 35, the first half of which are now deemed submitted for resolution by DOJ prosecutors.
Citing autopsy findings of the PAO forensic team, the complainants alleged that 11-year-old Aldrid Aberia, 12-year-old Annaliza Silverio, and 18-year-old Micaella Kayla Mainit died of Dengvaxia-related symptoms in April and May last year.
The complaint stated that Aberia and Mainit were allegedly vaccinated with Dengvaxia once, while Silverio supposedly received three doses.
PAO said victims’ death certificates showed they died of lymphoma, cardiogenic shock (with congenital heart disease as an antecedent cause), and tonsillar herniation (with lupus as an underlying cause), respectively, according to the PAO complaints.
Besides Garin, the PAO also named as respondents several former and incumbent DOH officials and directors and officers of Dengvaxia maker Sanofi Pasteur and its local distributor, Zuellig Pharma.
The respondents were accused 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 for violating RA 7394, the Consumer Act of the Philippines, particularly, the mislabeling of drugs and devices, liability for defective products, and liability for product and service imperfection.
Also named respondents were Department of Health 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 Viianzon, and Mario Baquilod.
The complainants also want to hold criminal liable officials of Food and Drug Administration, namely: Dr. Maria Lourdes Santiago and Melody Zamudio; and officials of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, namely, Drs. Socorro Lupisan and Maria Rosario Capeding.
Executives of Sanofi Pastuer 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.
Also named as respondents in some of the complaints were Dr. Herminigildo Valle also of the DOH; Dr. Sonia Gonzales of the Philippine Children’s Medical Center; and Dr. Raymundo Lo, a former PCMC official.