Emergency use authorizations will be granted. Is this compatible with science?
Several vaccines have completed or are nearing the completion of the final phase of their clinical trials. The next step will be obtaining authorization from health authorities for emergency use. However, for many scientists, this could pose a problem, as the laboratories will be unable to produce enough data to ensure the safety and harmlessness of their vaccine.
The scientific dilemma is thus posed: authorizations will need to be granted because the pandemic continues and there is an urgency, but scientific data, particularly regarding the vaccine’s safety, will not be available in sufficient quantity and quality. This situation is unprecedented in vaccine development.
Should we be concerned about this? Normally, it takes ten years to develop a vaccine. These ten years are not all devoted to scientific research or clinical trials. No, much time is lost in administrative complexities, securing funding, grants, etc. So many tasks punctuate the researchers’ work. But today, the world’s clock is ticking to the rhythm of a pandemic that kills every second. In this very particular context, money has flowed abundantly.
Countries have rushed to pre-order vaccines and, in a gamble, provided substantial amounts of funding to the labs. As a result, researchers have focused on their main task. They have moved very quickly, conducted their trials simultaneously, in unprecedented time frames, showing a surprising capacity for innovation; because the world needed it, necessity being the mother of invention.
Safety has not been compromised, all trials have gone through the correct “phases” or processes of any standard medication or vaccine. Hundreds of thousands of people have volunteered and received an experimental vaccine.
Vaccines will only be used if their benefits clearly outweigh the risks.
