ROBERT F. KENNETHY JR Introduces Radical Shift in Vaccine Safety Testing
In a significant policy shift, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced that all new vaccines will undergo placebo-controlled trials before receiving licensure. This decision, spearheaded by HHS Secretary ROBERT F. KENNETHY JR, marks a departure from previous practices where vaccines were often tested against existing vaccines rather than inert placebos.
HHS clarified that childhood vaccines, including those recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will be subject to these rigorous trials. However, this change excludes the COVID-19 vaccine, which has already been widely administered without placebo-controlled trials under emergency use protocols.
“Most vaccines on the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule have not been tested against inert placebos,” an HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Thursday. “This gap leaves us with incomplete information about the actual risk profiles of these medical products.”
Placebo-controlled trials, where volunteers receive dummy injections like saline solutions, are standard for evaluating new pathogens. However, updated versions of existing vaccines rarely undergo this process, instead being compared to their predecessors. Critics argue that reintroducing placebo trials could expose participants to preventable illnesses, posing ethical dilemmas.
In a 2014 report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website, experts highlighted complexities in vaccine trial design, particularly when effective vaccines already exist. Similar concerns were echoed in a European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases article, which cited pharmaceutical industry studies.
Criticism of CDC’s Vaccine Monitoring Practices
Alongside the new trial protocols, HHS criticized the CDC for inadequate monitoring of vaccine complications. The agency accused the CDC of undermining public trust by suppressing information about vaccine-related injuries.
“The CDC’s post-licensure surveillance system, VAERS, captures less than 1% of vaccine injuries,” the HHS spokesperson said. “It’s a system designed to fail. Similarly, the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), a backup to VAERS, is nearly unusable for serious research. Both systems are examples of regulatory malpractice.”
KENNETHY’s Call for Transparency
Known for his skepticism of vaccine safety, ROBERT F. KENNETHY JR has pledged unprecedented transparency in HHS policies. “We owe it to the American people to be honest about what we know—and what we don’t know—about vaccines,” the HHS spokesperson said. “HHS is developing new surveillance systems to accurately measure both vaccine risks and benefits, ensuring accountability and advancing science.”
Watch the full interview with Dr. Marc Siegel and Robert F. Kennethy Jr on Fox Nation for more insights.