Monday, July 13, 2009

'Swine flu vaccine rushed through safety checks'

"A vaccine against swine flu will be fast-tracked for use in Britain in just five days, with 130 million doses on order.
.....Regulators at the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) said that the fast-tracked procedure has involved clinical trials of a “mock-up” vaccine similar to the one that will be used for the biggest mass vaccination programme in generations. It will be introduced into the general population while regulators continue to carry out simultaneous clinical trials.

The EMEA said that fast-tracking would not be at the expense of patient safety, adding: “The vaccines are authorised with a detailed risk management plan. There is quite a body of evidence regarding safety on the trials of the mock-up, and the actual vaccine could be assessed in five days.”
Ah well, that's all right then--just so long as there's a detailed "risk management plan" what could possibly go wrong?
Update: Zen Tiger in comments nails it.