HHS to Require Placebo-Controlled Trials for New Vaccines

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is requiring all new vaccines to be tested against placebos before being licensed, officials said on April 30.

The requirement is “a radical departure from past practices,” a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told The Epoch Times in an email.

“Except for the COVID vaccine, none of the vaccines on the CDC’s childhood recommended schedule was tested against an inert placebo, meaning we know very little about the actual risk profiles of these products,” the HHS spokesperson said.

A placebo is a substance that “has no effect on living beings,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines it as an “inactive preparation.” Neither agency responded to requests for comment.