FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep. Green Bolsters Patient Protections From Vaccine Trial Fraud
WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Mark Green, MD, introduced the Vaccines In Trial And Liability Act (VITAL Act) of 2024, which will ensure Americans are protected from fraudulent vaccine trial data.
Green said, "This legislation is essential for the oversight and transparency of vaccine companies and the trial data they use to obtain Emergency Use Authorizations (EUAs). Companies that make fraudulent statements or hide the truth will open themselves up to fines and criminal proceedings by both the federal government as well as civil lawsuits. This is a critical level of accountability for the American people."
"Physicians put their trust in accurate trial data. Our patients, in turn, put their trust in us. There should be significant consequences for companies that deliberately break this trust. Physicians and health care administrators rely on accurate, full-picture trials. This legislation will ensure that further use of the EUA designation is done with accountability and transparency. There must be direct and immediate oversight, and we must allow legal recourse for vaccine victims. Letting companies hide behind liability protection under EUA protocols is unacceptable."
Read the bill here.
Background: The bill mandates that any company that lies about its trial data will have all liability waivers removed. If the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary discovers fraudulent statements or concealment of trial data, the Department can remove liability protection should that company have that protection issued under an emergency usage authorization.
Access to COVID-19 vaccine trial data has become nearly impossible due to bureaucratic red tape and slow agency response. According to the FDA’s own estimates, it would take them 55 years to process all of the FOIA requests for the vaccine data that it relied upon for licensing just one of the COVID-19 vaccines.
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