Azar Strips Power Away From Scientific Agencies In Charge of Regulating Vaccines, Medicines
Meanwhile, 69 Percent of Americans Don’t Trust Trump on Vaccines
As the United States reports 200,000 lives lost to the virus, HHS Secretary Alex Azar this weekend signaled a willingness to interfere in the approval of a coronavirus vaccine — blocking the FDA from the ability to sign any rules related to the regulation of vaccines, reserving that authority to himself alone.
This move is just one more blatant example of top administration officials sidelining public health concerns to help the President’s politically motivated push for a vaccine before Election Day. Their interference is muddying the vaccine approval process — making it impossible for Americans to trust the information coming out of the administration.
The Trump administration’s ongoing interference in scientific agencies helps explain why polls show that a majority of Americans are distrustful of Trump on vaccines, a trend experts say could have dangerous consequences.
Azar’s Meddling Latest in Long Line of Attacks on Independent Agencies to Help Trump Politically
HHS Secretary Alex Azar Barred Health Agencies Like The FDA From Signing New Rules On Medicines And Vaccines, Reserving Such Power “To The Secretary.”
- “In a stunning declaration of authority, Alex M. Azar II, the secretary of health and human services, this week barred the nation’s health agencies, including the Food and Drug Administration, from signing any new rules regarding the nation’s foods, medicines, medical devices and other products, including vaccines… Going forward, Mr. Azar wrote in a Sept. 15 memorandum obtained by The New York Times, such power ‘is reserved to the Secretary.’ The bulletin was sent to heads of operating and staff divisions within H.H.S.” [New York Times, 9/19/20]
Dr. Mark McClellan, Former FDA Commissioner: “Trust In The Public Health Agency Is Needed More Than Ever… I’m Not Sure What Is To Be Gained With A Management Change With Respect To F.D.A. When They Are Doing Such Critical Work.”
- “Outside observers were alarmed by the new memo and worried that it could contribute to a public perception of political meddling in science-based regulatory decisions. Dr. Mark McClellan, who formerly headed the F.D.A. and now runs Duke University’s health policy center, praised the agency’s work on vaccine development but said the policy change was ill-timed. ‘We’re in the midst of a pandemic, when trust in the public health agency is needed more than ever,’ he said. ‘So, I’m not sure what is to be gained with a management change with respect to F.D.A. when they are doing such critical work.’” [New York Times, 9/19/20]
Former Senior FDA And HHS Officials Speculate The Decision Was To Send A Signal To President Trump.
- “An F.D.A. official, who was not permitted to speak on the record, said the agency was still deciphering what Mr. Azar’s memo would mean for their work. But former senior officials with the F.D.A. and H.H.S. speculated that the intent was to remove rule-making power from Dr. Stephen Hahn, the F.D.A. commissioner and to send a signal to President Trump that no surprises would come from the agency in the weeks before the election.” [New York Times, 9/19/20]
A New ABC Poll Shows Americans Are Increasingly Distrustful of Trump on Vaccines
69 Percent Of Americans Don’t Trust Trump In Vouching For The Safety And Effectiveness Of A Vaccine.
- “As President Donald Trump continues to tout the progress of coronavirus vaccine development, going so far this week as to promise delivery to everyone in the U.S. by next spring, a majority of Americans report having no confidence at all in him to confirm the safety of a potential inoculation, according to a ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday. Fewer than 1 in 10 (9%) Americans have a great deal of confidence in Trump to confirm vaccine effectiveness with another 18% reporting only a ‘good amount’ of confidence in the poll conducted by Ipsos in partnership with ABC News using Ipsos’ Knowledge Panel. In contrast, 69% don’t have confidence in the president vouching for a vaccine, including 16% saying ‘not so much’ and 53% saying ‘none at all.’” [ABC News, 9/20/20]
Fewer Americans Are “Likely” To Receive A Vaccine Than Were In May.
- “The poll also finds fewer Americans say they are ‘likely’ to get a ‘safe and effective coronavirus vaccine,’ compared to results from May. There was a 10-point drop (74% to 64%) in Americans who said they were either very or somewhat likely to get the vaccine — a decrease driven nearly entirely by a decline among Republicans.” [ABC News, 9/20/20]
Experts Are Warning That Trump’s Politicizing of Science Could Have Dangerous Consequences
NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins: “The Unfortunate Mix Of Science And Politics” Has Increased Vaccine Hesitancy.
- “The hesitancy of many people to get a Covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available is an issue that needs to be urgently addressed, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Wednesday. ‘Those who are vaccine hesitant have had their hesitancy enhanced by a variety of things that are happening right now, particularly the unfortunate mix of science and politics,’ Collins said at an event hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine… ‘I don’t want to have us, a year from now, having a conversation about how we have in our hands the solution to the worst pandemic of more than 100 years, but we haven’t been able to actually convince people to take charge of it,’ Collins said.” [CNN, 9/17/20]
Dr. Anthony Fauci Warned The Wall Street Journal That For A Vaccine To Be Effective, People Actually Need To Use It.
- “People need to understand that if not enough people get vaccinated, a vaccine won’t help reduce the spread of the virus, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease official, told the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. ‘It’s a combination of how effective a vaccine is and how many people use it,’ he said. ‘If you have a vaccine that is highly effective and not enough people get vaccinated, you’re not going to realize the full, important effect of having a vaccine.’ The less protective a vaccine is, the more people need to get it to provide population-wide immunity, Fauci said.” [CNN, 9/17/20]