Following the dismissal of the cases, infectious disease expert Dr. Rontgene Solante shared how the medical practitioners, who were supposedly not involved, suffered from being dragged into dengvaxia cases, emphasizing that it affected their professional careers.

The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 229 dismissed the cases of the doctors. Following the decision, the prosecution, which includes Dr. Tony Leachon, filed a Motion for Reconsideration (MR) but was denied, and “the orders granting their demurrers stand.”

“I welcome the Court’s decision in dismissing the cases against these legitimate medical experts. Justice was truly served. RTC’s decision upheld the principles of fairness and due process in the legal system,” Solante said.

“It is unfortunate that our medical professionals had to endure undue suffering and face significant challenges due to the spread of misinformation propagated by ‘fake experts.’”

Former OIC-DG of the Food and Drug Administration Lulu Santiago, former Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) head Socorro Lupisan, and pediatrician and medical researcher Dr. Rose Capeding were among those medical practitioners who were dragged in the dengvaxia cases.

Solante said that the vaccine underwent a ‘rigorous’ evaluation process and has met the standards of quality and safety.

“She did not have personal participation from receipt of the application to the eventual approval of the Dengvaxia vaccine. She was included in the case simply because she was the OIC-DG of the Food and Drug Administration then,” the infectious disease expert said, referring to Santiago.

Santiago served as a consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Swedish government, and ASEAN in areas related to drug regulation and laboratory analysis and audit. She was assigned as the first  Officer-In-Charge, Director IV of the Center for Drug Regulation and Research.

She published the first edition of Philippine Pharmacopeia as the Project Manager in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, academe, the Department of Health (DOH), and the Government of Japan.

Meanwhile, Lupisan, during her tenure, they were able to address MERS in 2014, possible Ebola and avian influenza in 2016, AH1N1 in 2009, and SARS in 2003. She was also among those who prepared Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of these diseases and shared them with their DOH partners. She has been doing clinical and community-based research since she started at RITM in 1985.

Lupisan also has a specialization in Biosafety and Biosecurity and initiated the setting up of the Institutional Biorisk Management Office in RITM.