FDA halted publication of agency studies on Covid-19 and shingles vaccine safety

Tuesday, May 5, 2026Science & ClimateWell-covered4 frames

Both agree

FDA officials stopped agency scientists from publishing publicly funded vaccine-safety studies based on millions of patient records, including work already accepted by journals, leaving findings that serious side effects were very rare undisclosed for now.

They split on

Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: the public’s claim on federal safety findings about widely used vaccines, versus the agency’s obligation to police unsupported conclusions and prove that its gatekeeping is credible.

FDA officials blocked publication of several studies examining the safety of Covid-19 and shingles vaccines.
The studies were conducted by agency scientists using millions of patient records and were funded with millions of dollars in public money.
The studies found that serious side effects linked to the vaccines were very rare.
In October, scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid-19 vaccine studies that had already been accepted for publication in medical journals.
In February, top FDA officials did not approve submission of abstracts on studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug-safety conference.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the studies were withdrawn because the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data, and said the FDA acted to protect its scientific process.
The blocked studies involved widely used vaccines, meaning the decision affects whether federal safety findings about products used by large numbers of patients are publicly disseminated.
It remains unresolved from the available reports whether the studies will be revised and published later or remain unpublished.

FDA officials blocked publication of several studies examining the safety of Covid-19 and shingles vaccines.
The studies were conducted by agency scientists using millions of patient records and were funded with millions of dollars in public money.
The studies found that serious side effects linked to the vaccines were very rare.
In October, scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid-19 vaccine studies that had already been accepted for publication in medical journals.
In February, top FDA officials did not approve submission of abstracts on studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug-safety conference.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the studies were withdrawn because the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data, and said the FDA acted to protect its scientific process.
The blocked studies involved widely used vaccines, meaning the decision affects whether federal safety findings about products used by large numbers of patients are publicly disseminated.
It remains unresolved from the available reports whether the studies will be revised and published later or remain unpublished.

FDA halted publication of agency studies on Covid-19 and shingles vaccine safety

The Facts

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Wire services (2)

Independent coverage (29)

FDA halted publication of agency studies on Covid-19 and shingles vaccine safety

The Facts

Context

Wire services (2)

Independent coverage (29)

FDA halted publication of agency studies on Covid-19 and shingles vaccine safety

The Facts

Context

Wire services (2)

Independent coverage (29)

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FDA halted publication of agency studies on Covid-19 and shingles vaccine safety

The Facts

Context

Wire services (2)

Independent coverage (29)

Continue Reading

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RSF says global press freedom has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years

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