Ex-DOH chief defends P3.5-B dengue vaccine procurement

Carolyn Bonquin, ABS-CBN News

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src='http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/08/janette-garin-2017-060817.jpg?ext=.jpg' ><figcaption><div class='embed-desc'>Former Health Secretary Janette Garin. <cite>File Photo</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Former Health Secretary Janette Garin defended Wednesday the exemption they sought from the Formulary Executive Council for the procurement of P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccines.</p><p>During the House probe on the alleged irregular procurement of dengue vaccines on Wednesday, Garin said the exemption was needed due to the backlogs in pending applications with the FEC.</p><p>The council, which is composed of experts in medicine, pharmacology, and toxicology among others, decides whether or not a certain drug should be placed in the Philippine National Drug Formulary.</p><p>The usual processing time for product registration is within 254 days. But for the dengue vaccines, it only took them 7 months, from May 2015 to December 2015.</p><p>Representatives Estrellita Suansing of Nueva Ecija and Doy Leachon of Oriental Mindoro questioned what appeared to them as a hasty approval of the procurement of dengue vaccines.</p><p>But Dr. Julius Lecciones, Executive Director of the Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC), one of the hospitals tasked to implement the program, sees nothing irregular with the procurement.</p><p>"Kung sasabihing mabilis, ito ay in reaction to what? Sa procurement law, 28 days. This particular [procurement] is 45 days. Procurement from 2012 to 2016, ang aming average is 51 days in the hospital. This ranges from 21-89 days," he said. </p><p>"'Yung mabilis na 1 month naming nagagawa nag-o-occur sa first semester. Kung iko-compare ko 'to sa track record ng PCMC in the last 5 years, everything is in order. Minadali namin? Hindi," he added.</p><p>The FEC also clarified before the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability that there was no list of priority projects back in 2016.</p><p>During the hearing, Rep. Leachon also questioned the Health Department's procurement of vaccines with Sanofi when the French drug-maker already faced fraud issues abroad.</p><p>"I cannot comment on the specific nature of cases anywhere else in the world. Without knowing the details of the allegations, I apologize," Gerard Palez, representative of Sanofi, responded.</p><p>The DOH said they were not informed of any convictions of Sanofi before and after the procurement. Garin said Leachon's source on Sanofi's case was an anti-vaccine magazine.</p><p>Rep. Leachon asked why the health department allotted P3.5 billion for dengue vaccines, leaving only around P3.2 billion for other immunization programs. </p><div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src='http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/21/storage-062117.jpg' ><figcaption><div class='embed-desc'>Boxes of Dengvaxia stored at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City. <cite>ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>He noted that P1.4-billion worth of these dengue vaccines are still at the cold storage of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and are nearing expiration due to the controversy.</p><p>"Bakit P3 billion? E sabi ni [Health] Sec. [Paulyn] Ubial mas mataas ang rate ng pneumonia?," asked Leachon.</p><p>Garin said the Department of Budget Management not only approved the budget for the dengue vaccines, but for other vaccines as well.</p><p>"Unfortunately, on the last request, hindi kami nakasubmit ng one requirement for JE, and for the pneumonia vaccine, the company cannot commit a definitive price," Garin told the committee.</p><p>"But it's precise for me to say that the DBM still allowed a budget of P1.5 billion for the pneumonia vaccine," she told the committee.</p><p>Leachon also noted that the vaccines have been purchased months before the election.</p><p>But Garin denied allegations that the procurement was related to May 2016 elections, noting that the DOH already had plans to roll out a nationwide dengue vaccination program back in 2014.</p><div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src='http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/23/dengue-infographic.jpg' ></figure></div>

<p>The usual processing time for product registration is within 254 days. But for the dengue vaccines, it only took them 7 months, from May 2015 to December 2015.</p><p>Representatives Estrellita Suansing of Nueva Ecija and Doy Leachon of Oriental Mindoro questioned what appeared to them as a hasty approval of the procurement of dengue vaccines.</p><p>But Dr. Julius Lecciones, Executive Director of the Philippine Children's Medical Center (PCMC), one of the hospitals tasked to implement the program, sees nothing irregular with the procurement.</p><p>"Kung sasabihing mabilis, ito ay in reaction to what? Sa procurement law, 28 days. This particular [procurement] is 45 days. Procurement from 2012 to 2016, ang aming average is 51 days in the hospital. This ranges from 21-89 days," he said. </p><p>"'Yung mabilis na 1 month naming nagagawa nag-o-occur sa first semester. Kung iko-compare ko 'to sa track record ng PCMC in the last 5 years, everything is in order. Minadali namin? Hindi," he added.</p><p>The FEC also clarified before the Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability that there was no list of priority projects back in 2016.</p><p>During the hearing, Rep. Leachon also questioned the Health Department's procurement of vaccines with Sanofi when the French drug-maker already faced fraud issues abroad.</p><p>"I cannot comment on the specific nature of cases anywhere else in the world. Without knowing the details of the allegations, I apologize," Gerard Palez, representative of Sanofi, responded.</p><p>The DOH said they were not informed of any convictions of Sanofi before and after the procurement. Garin said Leachon's source on Sanofi's case was an anti-vaccine magazine.</p><p>Rep. Leachon asked why the health department allotted P3.5 billion for dengue vaccines, leaving only around P3.2 billion for other immunization programs. </p><div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src='http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/21/storage-062117.jpg' ><figcaption><div class='embed-desc'>Boxes of Dengvaxia stored at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Muntinlupa City. <cite>ABS-CBN News</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>He noted that P1.4-billion worth of these dengue vaccines are still at the cold storage of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, and are nearing expiration due to the controversy.</p><p>"Bakit P3 billion? E sabi ni [Health] Sec. [Paulyn] Ubial mas mataas ang rate ng pneumonia?," asked Leachon.</p><p>Garin said the Department of Budget Management not only approved the budget for the dengue vaccines, but for other vaccines as well.</p><p>"Unfortunately, on the last request, hindi kami nakasubmit ng one requirement for JE, and for the pneumonia vaccine, the company cannot commit a definitive price," Garin told the committee.</p><p>"But it's precise for me to say that the DBM still allowed a budget of P1.5 billion for the pneumonia vaccine," she told the committee.</p><p>Leachon also noted that the vaccines have been purchased months before the election.</p><p>But Garin denied allegations that the procurement was related to May 2016 elections, noting that the DOH already had plans to roll out a nationwide dengue vaccination program back in 2014.</p><div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src='http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/23/dengue-infographic.jpg' ></figure></div>

<p>During the House probe on the alleged irregular procurement of dengue vaccines on Wednesday, Garin said the exemption was needed due to the backlogs in pending applications with the FEC.</p><p>The council, which is composed of experts in medicine, pharmacology, and toxicology among others, decides whether or not a certain drug should be placed in the Philippine National Drug Formulary.</p>

<div class='embed-wrap'><figure data-feedback='fb:likes,fb:comments'><img src='http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/news/06/08/janette-garin-2017-060817.jpg?ext=.jpg' ><figcaption><div class='embed-desc'>Former Health Secretary Janette Garin. <cite>File Photo</cite></div></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Former Health Secretary Janette Garin defended Wednesday the exemption they sought from the Formulary Executive Council for the procurement of P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccines.</p>

<p>Former Health Secretary Janette Garin defended the exemption they sought from the Formulary Executive Council for the procurement of P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccines.</p>

Former Health Secretary Janette Garin defended the exemption they sought from the Formulary Executive Council for the procurement of P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccines.

Ex-DOH chief defends P3.5-B dengue vaccine procurement | ABS-CBN News

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Ex-DOH chief defends P3.5-B dengue vaccine procurement

Ex-DOH chief defends P3.5-B dengue vaccine procurement