WASHINGTON - Sept. 24, 2020 - Although President Trump has threatened to overule the FDA if the agency doesn't approve a COVID vaccine quickly enough, the National Medical Association - and perhaps other major doctor associations - can stymie any such premature release, says public interest law professor John Banzhaf.

Banzhaf notes that there is a growing caucus within the medical community - as reported by CNN, the Washington Post, CBS, WebMD, STAT, and others - calling for an independent commission, free from bias, including pressure from the President - to review the safety and effectiveness of any vaccine before it is widely administered.

More than ten days ago, Banzhaf suggested to the National Medical Association [NMA] - the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients - that the organization act to protect its members by establishing an independent expert committee to evaluate any potential vaccine before it is released

The NMA has announced that it is forming just such a body, and Banzhaf is suggesting that other major medical organizations - including the American Medical Association, American College of Physicians, the American Academy of Family Physicians, and others - take similar action.

As the NMA's president, Leon McDougle said: "It's necessary to provide a trusted messenger of vetted information to the African American community . . . There is a concern that some of the recent decisions by the Food and Drug Administration have been unduly influenced by politicians."

If this organization, which is trusted among African Americans, recommends that Black physicians not administer a hurriedly-approved vaccine, and that Black patients not agree to receive it, it could significantly delay, if not completely halt, the distribution of a new COVID vaccine, predicts Banzhaf, noting that African Americans tend to be especially suspicious of governmental health officials, and have been infected - and died or become disabled from COVID-19 - in disproportionately high numbers.

If one or more additional major medical organizations joins with NMA in likewise reviewing the evidence regarding any new COVID vaccine, the effect would be even greater, argues Banzhaf.

The need for independent experts to vet any new vaccine before it was released to the public was just increased by new disclosures that top officials in the administration, leading effort to release a virus at "warp speed," have financial ties to the companies now seeking to develop and profit from new vaccines.

Also, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus released a report documenting these clear conflicts of interest.

http://banzhaf.net/ jbanzhaf3ATgmail.com @profbanzhaf

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