Biologics

Democratic Health Leaders Question FDA Study Suppression

Democratic leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are accusing HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of suppressing scientific research supporting the safety and effectiveness of Covid-19 vaccines, escalating a growing political fight over vaccine policy inside federal health agencies.

In a letter sent Thursday, senior committee Democrats urged Kennedy to publicly release allegedly withheld vaccine studies and stop what they described as political interference in scientific publication decisions at agencies including FDA and CDC.

The letter was signed by Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, along with Health Subcommittee ranking member Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee ranking member Yvette Clarke (D-NY).

The lawmakers cited recent reports that FDA scientists were pressured to withdraw two studies showing favorable Covid-19 vaccine safety data (see earlier story).

“Not only are you preventing release of information that can help inform Americans in their decisions to get themselves and their families vaccinated, but you are also preventing health care providers from utilizing data that helps them advise their patients,” the lawmakers wrote to Kennedy.

According to the Democrats, one of the blocked studies analyzed medical records from more than 7 million Medicare patients following Covid-19 vaccination and found no new safety signals associated with the vaccines.

The lawmakers also pointed to reports earlier this year that FDA halted submission of a shingles vaccine study to a drug safety conference despite findings supporting the vaccine’s effectiveness.

“The suppression of this research yet again demonstrates the lengths to which HHS will go to fan the flames of your vaccine skepticism,” the lawmakers wrote.

The letter adds to mounting scrutiny surrounding Kennedy’s influence over vaccine policy since taking over HHS. Critics, including many public health experts and Democratic lawmakers, have accused Kennedy — a longtime vaccine skeptic — of politicizing scientific review processes and undermining confidence in immunization programs.

Earlier this month, the same Democratic leaders raised concerns following reports that the CDC blocked publication of a study concluding that COVID-19 vaccines reduced hospitalizations by roughly half.

The lawmakers argued that withholding or delaying publication of vaccine research could impair physicians’ ability to counsel patients and interfere with public health decision-making.

Read the full letter here.

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