A group of 27 prominent health experts and scientists are inviting public comment on their petition calling on the FDA to withhold full approval of COVID vaccines until efficacy and safety measures are met.
“Premature FDA approval of any COVID-19 vaccine could negatively impact the health and safety of U.S. residents, with global ramifications considering the international importance of FDA decisions,” the group said.
The FDA citizen petition process, described in Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR Part 10), allows individuals and community organizations to request the agency make changes to health policy. At any time, any “interested person” can request the FDA “issue, amend or revoke a regulation or order,” or “take or refrain from taking any other form of administrative action.”
In their petition, the group outlined many unanswered questions surrounding the efficacy and safety of COVID vaccines, and detailed how data must be collected before the FDA considers granting any vaccine full approval.
“We are concerned that the premature licensure of a COVID-19 vaccine can seriously undermine public confidence in regulatory authorities, particularly if long-term safety issues were to emerge following licensure,” petitioners wrote.
In an op-ed published today in The BMJ, four of the petition’s signatories, writing on behalf of the group, said:
“The message of our petition is ‘slow down and get the science right — there is no legitimate reason to hurry to grant a license to a coronavirus vaccine.’ We believe the existing evidence base — both pre- and post-authorization — is simply not mature enough at this point to adequately judge whether clinical benefits outweigh the risks in all populations.”