10 Republican Congresspersons Send Demand Letter to FDA Commissioner: Release all COVID-19 Vaccine & Therapy Data Now
A group of elected officials has sent a letter to the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release all of the data the agency has in its possession on the COVID-19 approved products. Florida Republican Representative Bill Posey from Florida’s 8th Congressional district teamed with nine other congresspersons to demand access to key information.
Writing Commissioner Robert Califf the elected officials first establish “Americans continued to evaluate the benefits and risks associated with these vaccines and therapeutics in the midst of the changing dynamics of the pandemic. Nothing is more important to physicians, parents, patients, public health officials, and elected officials than having access to as much information as possible when evaluating immediate and long-term responses to the pandemic.”
Arguing that American society is so dependent on these FDA-regulated products the congresspersons argue that far more broad access is instrumental now and hence the letter. Upping the tone, the elected officials declare the FDA”s behavior “appalling” in withholding key COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic data behind the agency’s firewall for over 18 months.
Posey and colleagues demand “immediate release of all safety and efficacy data in its possession for EUA COVID-19 products which have now been approved by the FDA.” Moreover, the congresspersons are concerned that the FDA “allowed vaccine mandates while the products were under EUA and the data remained unavailable to the public.”
Posey and colleagues remind the FDA that the vaccine manufacturers enjoy universal liability projection under the PREP Act while tens of billions of public money were spent on these companies. They emphasize that the FDA if it desires to maintain its “gold standard” brand ought to immediately support public access as transparency is fundamental to good science and any mandated drugs or vaccines.
Who signed this letter?
The following individuals signed the letter:
Representative
Congressional District
Bill Posey
8th District, Florida
Vicky Hartzler
4th District Missouri
Mo Brooks
5th District Alabama
Madison Cawthorn
11th District North Carolina
Clay Higgins
3rd District Louisiana
Louie Gohmert
1st District Texas
Thomas Massie
4th District Kentucky
Ralph Norman
5th District South Carolina
Mary E. Miller
15th District Illinois
Thomas P. Tiffany
7th District Wisconsin
Interestingly, all of the signatories are Republican evidencing a severe partisan divide over concerns about the COVID-19 authorized products. This is a switch as typically in the past liberals from the Democratic Party paid more attention to such matters while Republicans were considered friendlier to big business