Latest news with #Vaccine
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
US CDC vaccine panel cites nonexistent study in Thimerosal review, sparks controversy
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. Photo|:REUTERS/ Listen to article A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines slated to be presented on Thursday to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outside vaccine committee cites a study that does not exist, the scientist listed as the study's author said. The report, called "Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative" published on the CDC website on Tuesday, is to be presented by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. It makes reference to a study called "Low-level neonatal thimerosal exposure: Long-term consequences in the brain," published in the journal Neurotoxicology in 2008, and co-authored by UC Davis Professor Emeritus Robert Berman. But according to Berman, "it's not making reference to a study I published or carried out." Berman said he co-authored a similarly named study in a different journal - Toxicological Sciences - that came to different conclusions than those suggested by Redwood. "We did not examine the effects of thimerosal in microglia... I do not endorse this misrepresentation of the research," he said. Reuters is the first to report on the inaccurate citation from Redwood's planned presentation. Later on Tuesday, the CDC uploaded a new version of Redwood's presentation, removing the slide that cited the Berman study. The meeting has become increasingly controversial after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just weeks ago abruptly fired all previous 17 members of the expert panel and named eight new members, half of whom have advocated against vaccines. The CDC ACIP Slides have been removed from the CDC website. Will they reappear for public review before the meeting? Or is HHS "radical transparency" = hiding data and presentations from the public and presenting false data to ACIP? — Dr. David B (@boulware_dr) June 25, 2025 Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine activist, founded the Children's Health Defense. Both Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic US Senator Patty Murray of Washington said the June 25 and 26 meeting should be postponed. The summary of the presentation suggested that there are enough thimerosal-free flu vaccines and that all pregnant women, infants and children should receive only those shots. Those aren't CDC slides. They are the slides for the presentation by Lyn Redwood, former president of Children's Health — Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@HelenBranswell) June 25, 2025 It was not clear if the new advisory panel would be asked to vote on such a move. Redwood's presentation was in contrast to a separate report posted by CDC staff on the CDC website on Tuesday that says evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Kennedy has long pushed a link between vaccines and autism contrary to scientific evidence. Redwood could not be immediately reached for comment. An HHS spokesman said the study being referenced was the Toxicological Sciences study Berman said was being misrepresented. The CDC's briefing material reviewed some studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes and vaccines that contain thimerosal, which has long been used in the US in multi-dose vials of medicines and vaccines to prevent germs from growing in them. According to the CDC report, 96% of all influenza vaccines in the US were thimerosal free during the 2024-25 flu season. It also added that the number of pregnant women receiving a thimerosal-containing flu vaccine has decreased over time, with only 0.3% of doses given in 2024 containing thimerosal. Kennedy wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes brain damage. On Monday, Cassidy, who heads the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called for the meeting to be delayed, saying it should not take place with a relatively small panel and without a CDC director in place. Murray, a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, has also called for the fired panel members to be reinstated or the meeting be delayed until new members are appropriately vetted. Earlier, a newly appointed panel of vaccine advisers by US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is now down to seven after a member withdrew ahead of the committee's first meeting, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Tuesday. Earlier in June, Kennedy had named eight members to serve on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), including several who have advocated against vaccines, after abruptly firing all 17 members of the independent committee of experts. "Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from ACIP during the financial holdings review required of members before they can start work on the committee," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement, adding the committee would have benefited from his service and expertise. The New York Times first reported the news on Ross' departure. A list of voting members for the panel on the CDC's website didn't feature Ross' name as of Tuesday night. The panel, which advises the US CDC on who should get the shots after they are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is due to meet on June 25 and 26. It will vote on the safety of flu shots and discuss proposed recommendations for use of the combined MMRV vaccine for children under 5 years of age, according to a draft agenda on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website last week. A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines will also be presented by Lyn Redwood on Thursday during the meeting, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense.
Business Wire
01-05-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
Publication in Vaccine Highlights Fewer Adverse Events with PharmaJet Needle-free Intradermal Delivery compared to Needle and Syringe
GOLDEN, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PharmaJet ®, a company that strives to improve the performance and outcomes of injectables with its needle-free injection technology, today announced the publication of a study demonstrating the benefits of the PharmaJet Tropis needle-free system compared with N/S for ID administration of fractional dose poliovirus vaccine (fIPV). The study entitled Tropis needle-free injector for fractional-dose IPV administration: A pilot study for integration into routine immunization services in Cuba is published in Vaccine. 1 In Cuba, the routine immunization (RI) schedule for polio consists of two doses of fIPV administered at 4 and 8 months of age administered intradermally with N/S. However, ID administration with N/S is relatively uncomfortable, complex and requires specific training. Improper technique can result in reduced immunogenicity. 2 Tropis offers an easy to use, reliable technique that has been shown to improve coverage in Pakistan, 3 Somalia 4 and Nigeria, 5 where it has been used to vaccinate nearly 12 million children. Tropis is the first and only needle-free ID delivery technology to achieve World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification. The study measured acceptability, safety, and immunogenicity of Tropis compared to N/S administration with a total of 6,704 children vaccinated. Surveys were administered to parents/guardians (n=5260) and nurses (n=66) to evaluate satisfaction. Additionally, blood samples from vaccinated children were analyzed for neutralizing poliovirus antibody levels. The results indicated significantly fewer adverse events with Tropis (6%) than N/S (13%) (p =0.028), and Tropis was preferred over N/S by large margins by both parents (98%) and nurses (98.5%). Survey respondents cited ease of vaccination, diminished crying, and increased comfort as the benefits of Tropis. Of note, seroprevalence did not differ significantly between Tropis and N/S. This research collaboration between the Instituto Pedro Kourí (IPK) and the WHO was conducted to gain valuable insights that can be applied to curb the global circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus. Cuba has proven a useful resource and partner for polio eradication, acting as an incubator for testing new ideas and approaches. The WHO–Cuban collaboration, lasting for over 20 years, has been vital for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), making it possible to design innovative strategies, especially for the polio eradication endgame and for immunization policy development worldwide. 6 'These results highlight that Tropis results in fewer AEs than Mantoux technique and is more acceptable. This should be very encouraging to vaccine programs aiming to take advantage of ID delivery,' said Paul LaBarre, Vice President of Global Business Development, PharmaJet. 'The strong performance of Tropis ID delivery is consistent with results recently seen in WHO-sponsored polio campaigns in Pakistan, Nigeria, and Somalia where Tropis has been used to administer polio vaccinations to nearly 12 million children.' For more information visit the PharmaJet website About PharmaJet The PharmaJet mission is to improve the performance and outcomes of injectables with our enabling technology that better activates the immune system. We are committed to helping our partners realize their research and commercialization goals while making an impact on public health. PharmaJet Precision Delivery Systems™ can improve vaccine effectiveness, allow for a preferred patient and caregiver experience, and offer a proven path to commercialization. They are also safe, fast, and easy-to-use. The Stratis ® System has U.S. FDA 510(k) marketing clearance, CE Mark, and WHO PQS certification to deliver medications and vaccines either intramuscularly or subcutaneously. The Tropis ® System has CE Mark and WHO PQS certification for intradermal injections. They are both commercially available for global immunization programs. For more information or if you are interested in partnering with PharmaJet visit or contact PharmaJet here. Follow us on LinkedIn. About Cuba's role in the collaboration with the WHO and GPEI 2 Cuba's part in the continuing collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) has focused on issues relevant to policymaking for the ongoing global polio eradication effort. It has concentrated particularly on looking for answers to scientific questions that could not be answered elsewhere, taking into account Cuba's unique OPV vaccination program, conducted only twice annually, usually in February and April. Specifically, research has addressed several aspects of OPV and inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), such as immunogenicity, adverse reactions and complications, persistence of Sabin virus in populations, the immunogenicity schedule and its affordability, number of doses needed, evaluation of new vaccines and devices, and booster response.
Axios
29-04-2025
- Health
- Axios
Scientists mobilize to counter vaccine misinformation
A group of public health experts and scientists is mobilizing to counter vaccine misinformation from federal agencies, in an effort backed by Walmart heiress Christy Walton that could eventually produce independent product evaluations and clinical guidelines. Why it matters: It's the latest bid to push back against vaccine skepticism the group's founders contend is threatening to compromise federal public health agencies and the information they disseminate. The initiative is led by former FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg and former National Academy of Medicine president Harvey Fineberg and will operate as part of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). Driving the news: The newly formed Vaccine Integrity Project aims to start meeting with medical associations, state health officials, insurers, pharmacies and others next month on steps such as establishing a network of subject matter experts to conduct science-based reviews of vaccines. The effort is supported by an unrestricted gift from Alumbra, a foundation established by Walton, the widow of Walmart heir John Walton. "This project acknowledges the unfortunate reality that the system that we've relied on to make vaccine recommendations and to review safety and effectiveness data faces threats," said epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, the director of CIDRAP. "It is prudent to evaluate whether independent activities may be needed to stand in its place and how nongovernmental groups might operate to continue to provide science-based information to the American public." Osterholm told Science the group will seek out guidance about potentially "reviewing government decisions and messaging to provide clear and evidence-based information" and about "the potential need for a new independent body to evaluate vaccine safety and effectiveness." Between the lines: The effort comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine skepticism is putting him at odds with most scientists and some of the industries he's regulating. Some researchers fear he could appoint like-minded individuals to panels that advise the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine policy. Most American adults report having heard or read some false claims about measles or the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. Meanwhile, Idaho recently passed a first-in-the-nation ban on vaccine mandates in businesses and schools, and several other states considered legislation this year that would have banned mRNA vaccines. The other side: A spokesperson for HHS called the Vaccine Integrity Project "a self-appointed echo chamber masquerading as oversight."
