HHS Confirms FDA Blocked Publication of Pro-Vaccine Studies Under Kennedy's Watch

The Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed that the Food and Drug Administration suppressed the publication of peer-reviewed studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of vaccines against COVID-19 and shingles. The disclosure comes despite Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's public pledge to pursue "radical transparency" at the agencies under his control. The blocking of the research marks a significant departure from standard scientific publishing protocols and raises questions about political interference in regulatory science.

The FDA action follows a separate incident reported last month by The Washington Post, in which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rejected a scientifically vetted study that had cleared internal review. That study found COVID-19 vaccines substantially reduced the risk of emergency care and hospitalization among healthy adults. According to sources familiar with the matter, the research was ultimately rejected by Kennedy's acting CDC director, who cited concerns about the study's methodology—a justification that critics describe as pretextual given the research had already passed agency review. The FDA similarly blocked two studies on COVID-19 vaccines authored by agency scientists that had been accepted for publication in scientific journals.

The pattern of suppressed findings represents a notable anomaly in regulatory publishing, where peer-reviewed research supporting public health interventions typically proceeds without political intervention. Scientific integrity advocates warn that such actions could undermine public confidence in regulatory institutions and complicate future vaccine policy decisions. The blocked studies stand in contrast to administration-aligned research that has questioned vaccine safety, creating an information environment critics describe as asymmetric. The full scope of suppressed research and its implications for ongoing vaccination policy remains under scrutiny.