SANOFI Pasteur, the French pharmaceutical manufacturer of the controversial anti-dengue vaccine that was given to more than 800,000 individuals, most of them children, in the Philippines declined both requests by the government to fully refund the used doses and finance medical treatment of first-time dengue patients who were allegedly exposed to the risks of the drug.

In an e-mailed statement on Monday, Sanofi said if they agreed to fully reimburse the used vials of Dengvaxia, this would imply that the vaccine was “ineffective.”

“Agreeing to refund the used doses of Dengvaxia would imply that the vaccine was ineffective, which is not the case,” Sanofi said.

It also said that if the Department of Health (DoH) would reinstate the dengue immunization program, it would provide new vaccines for no cost to individuals who did not complete their doses.

“If the Department of Health decides to reinstate the community-based dengue vaccination program following a more complete evaluation of the new data on the vaccine, Sanofi Pasteur would be willing to provide new doses of the vaccine free of charge,” the pharmaceutical firm said.

“These new doses would allow people who previously received one or two doses of the vaccine in the public program to complete the three-dose schedule and, thus, have the opportunity to benefit from the full potential of Dengvaxia’s ability to protect against dengue,” it said.

At the same time, Sanofi declined to set up an indemnification fund for alleged victims of the drug, citing the findings of an independent expert panel from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital that there was no evidence directly linking the Dengvaxia vaccine to the 14 initial reported deaths.

The proposed indemnification fund was to cover the hospitalization and medical treatment for all children who may have contracted severe dengue after they have been given the Dengvaxia vaccine.

In a January 26 letter addressed to Sanofi Pasteur Asia-Pacific head Thomas Triomphe, the DoH sought a full refund of the P3.5 billion that was used to procure Dengvaxia.