THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Thursday, July 9, 2026, that there is still no registered dengue vaccine in the country and warned the public against counterfeit vaccines.
In an advisory, the FDA said it has yet to register the Qdenga dengue vaccine of Japanese firm Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.
“To date, Qdenga is not yet registered with the FDA. The application for registration is still on process,” the FDA said.
The FDA said the advisory was issued after it detected a counterfeit “QdengaTM Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine (Live, Attenuated) Powder for Injection” in the market.
“All healthcare professionals and the general public are hereby warned as to the availability of this counterfeit vaccine in the market,” the FDA said.
The agency said the use of the counterfeit vaccine could pose serious health risks to consumers.
It also warned all establishments and outlets against selling and/or dispensing the counterfeit product.
“Anyone found selling the said counterfeit drug product will be penalized,” the FDA said.
The FDA also called on all local government units and law enforcement agencies to ensure that the product is not sold or made available in their localities or areas of jurisdiction.
The Philippines last had a dengue vaccination program in 2016 through the Department of Health, which used Dengvaxia, a vaccine developed by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur.
The Dengvaxia vaccination program was later suspended after Sanofi disclosed that the vaccine could put people who had never been infected with dengue at a higher risk of developing a severe case of the disease. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
