A cure that could end the Coronavirus pandemic has become a political tool, which calls into question the efficacy and safety of the drug.
This is reported by the American edition of “Politico”.
According to the media, the Americans have every reason to fear the vaccine, which Donald Trump promised to develop before the end of the year. The expert community is skeptical about such a rush, but officials have already begun to rewrite the rules of vaccine study, simplifying clinical trials in favor of the speed of approval of the drug. The problem is, according to the publication, that none of the proposed vaccine variants is ready for the final stage of the development process – a month-long trial on tens of thousands of volunteers. Nevertheless, under pressure from politicians, the Food and Drug Administration may well grant permission for emergency use of the drugs.
One in four Americans is against COVID-19 vaccination.
Leading government infectiologist Anthony Fauci believes the number of infected people will be high enough to allow specialists to test the vaccines in autumn. So the results will be at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. But for Donald Trump, the medicine that could save the country affected by the epidemic is part of the campaign, so even the end of 2020 is too late for him.
Stephen Khan, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, says the agency “will under no circumstances allow political pressure” to influence vaccine decisions.
However, former Health Ministry official Nicole Lurieu recalls that the credibility of the FDA has already been undermined by decisions on hydroxychloroquine and confusion with serological tests.
“They already have two strikes against them. The risk that the Trump administration will undermine public confidence in our scientific agencies is enormous”, – she said.
The edition reminds us that a mumps vaccine was created most quickly, but it took four years. The fact is that many early vaccines are producing promising results. However, although patients can produce antibodies in response to a dose of experimental vaccine, they are not always strong enough to protect against disease.