Health experts will do well to voluntarily disclose their possible conflict of interest in making any statement before the media in connection with the Dengvaxia probe, Rep. Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur said on on Sunday.
The chairman of the House committee on good governance and public accountability said “the mere perception of a possible conflict of interest in this case is may be enough to taint or cast doubt on the opinion of a specialist, regardless of his or her credentials.”
He reacted to former health secretary Esperanza Cabral’s stance on the Dengvaxia cases as a resource person, saying Cabral served on the 11-member board of trustees of the Zuellig Family Foundation.
“We actually have two multinational pharmaceutical companies involved here, [and] not just one,” he said, referring to Sanofi Pasteur., the manufacturer of Dengvaxia, and Sanofi’s Dengvaxia distributor, Zuellig Pharma Holdings Pte. Ltd.
He said the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry “are to some degree connected.”
According to Pimentel, practicing physicians both in government and the private sector have been receiving offers from the pharmaceutical industry, such as advanced overseas scholarships, subsidized participation in international conferences and even lucrative consultancies.
“This is how moneyed pharmaceutical firms grow their influence — by cultivating gainful relationships with physicians and regulators who also happen to be doctors,” he said.
“In this case, it is quite possible a number of experts offering their opinion on the [Dengvaxia] controversy may owe either Sanofi or Zuellig, or both, a debt of gratitude, which should be voluntarily disclosed in the interest of impartiality,” he added.
Pimentel’s committee had conducted an inquiry into the P3.5-billion procurement of Dengvaxia vaccines from Sanofi Pasteur for the Department of Health’s mass anti-dengue immunization program.
In November 2017, Sanofi Pasteur released negative findings of its follow-up study on the use of Dengvaxia showing children who never had dengue but were given Dengvaxia shots had an increased risk of a severe dengue case.