US FDA halts publication of vaccine safety studies
As RFK Jr. challenges vaccine safety, decades of research continue to support the use of aluminum adjuvants in immunizations.
Daily TribuneAs RFK Jr. challenges vaccine safety, decades of research continue to support the use of aluminum adjuvants in immunizations.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Getty Images via AFP; photo from Pfizer of laboratory in Freiburg, Germany, Handout / Pfizer / AFP
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) halted the publication of safety studies on COVID-19 and shingles vaccines due to a “lack of supporting data,” according to Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon.
FDA scientists analyzed millions of patient records from 2023 to 2024 for the studies, which reportedly cost millions of taxpayer dollars. The researchers identified rare adverse effects following COVID-19 vaccination, although no new major safety concerns were found.
“While COVID-19 vaccines are well-established as safe, postmarketing surveillance of these vaccines is important to monitor the safety of new vaccine formulations given their widespread use, including in vulnerable populations,” the study abstract stated.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine skeptic, previously withdrew $500 million from vaccine research and development and had proposed reducing the number of vaccines recommended for children under U.S. vaccination policy.
COVID-19 vaccines remain among the most extensively studied vaccines in history. Clinical trials conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also found that Shingrix is safe.
According to the Philippines’ National COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard, a total of 2,921,196 vaccine doses were administered as of 2021. Around 113,000 adverse events following immunization were reported in 2024, although most were classified as non-serious.