HHS now plans to require placebo testing for all vaccines in an effort to offer “straightforward” public health information, but experts say such testing could limit availability and raise ethical concerns. Via the BBC:
In a statement first given to the Washington Post, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said this week, “All new vaccines will undergo safety testing in placebo-controlled trials prior to licensure — a radical departure from past practices”.
The agency did not provide details on which “new vaccines” would be included.
But officials have suggested that updated Covid-19 shots may be included, which vaccine experts say could slow down vaccine access.
Peter Lurie, a former official with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said “it’s hard to tell exactly what is being proposed.”
“But, broadly, if they mean that every modification to an existing vaccine would require a new placebo-controlled trial, they are treading in ethically dubious territory and likely to deny Americans life-saving vaccines at some point.”
An HHS spokesperson says Kennedy’s goal of “radical transparency” means being “honest and straightforward about what we know — and what we don’t know — about medical products, including vaccines”. But they plan to study all the right-wing vaccine conspiracy sites as a credible source!
