Health experts and prominent physicians have called for the formation of a commission that will review coronavirus vaccine trial data independently from the Food and Drug Administration before a vaccine is released in the market.
The clamor stemmed from the increasing distrust in vaccines and numerous criticisms on the government.
At the moment, a vaccine is allowed to be placed on the market as soon as the FDA gives it a green light. However, physicians and health experts have stated that following the "government blunders" that have happened amid the pandemic, the only way to put the public's trust on the vaccine is if an independent review is done.
According to CNN, a poll that was conducted on August, 4 out of 10 Americans are not willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine even when it becomes available and is for free. The health experts have indicated that the low response to vaccination may become a hindrance in totally controlling the virus. They also stated that the US may not achieve herd immunity if this happens.
In a statement by Harvard Medical School assistant, Dr. Kathryn Stephenson, her belief is that the idea of creating an independent panel started when some of her colleagues stated that they would not want to get the vaccine. She said that having a panel separate from the government and the FDA will increase people's trust in vaccines and erase the skepticism.
Bioethicists Arthur Caplan also shared the same sentiments as Stephenson and reached the same conclusion.
According to Caplan, in the past people have trusted the FDA and CDC that when they approve a vaccine for public use, However, amid the present health crisis, Caplan believes that the FDA's approval won't be sufficient to change the mind of the public. Thus, he stated that an independent commission is desperately needed.
Meanwhile, the FDA has stated that they are already enforcing measures that will re-enforce reassurance that the vaccine that will be developed and approved will be safe and effective. The statement was posted in a blog in Health Affairs which was posted by DR. Stephen Hahn, the Commissioner of the FDA, and two other health experts.
In a statement, Hahn pledged that the FDA will review the available data according to its deliberative and rigorous scientific process. He also added that the data from the clinical trials will be reviewed by an advisory committee of the FDA, adding that the said committee will give the organization guidance in making any decisions. The said committee will be convening on October 22.
Fifty percent of the committee will consist of experts who are in the academe and are currently working in research centers and universities.
Meanwhile, several experts believed that the advisory panel negates the need for an independent committee since it would consist of people who do not work for the FDA.
However, NYU ethicist, Caplan expressed his worries that the Americans have lost faith in experts even with their credentials. He said that relying on the endorsement of experts and the FDA alone is a mindset that should have existed in days before the pandemic happened.
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