The Herd Immunity Fallacy
During the pandemic and in the wake of recent measles outbreaks, many have pointed to the concept of “herd immunity” as a key reason to get vaccinated. This cartoon highlights how herd immunity is sometimes oversimplified or misapplied in discussions about vaccination. What Is Herd Immunity? When you think of a herd, you probably think […]
FDA’s Botched Review of Moderna’s Flu mRNA Vaccine
When the FDA licensed Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine [earlier this month], legacy media coverage focused almost exclusively on efficacy. The pivotal trial reported that the vaccine was “26.6% more effective” than a conventional flu vaccine at preventing protocol-defined influenza-like illness. What received far less scrutiny was a much more serious problem in the trial […]
Who is Really in Charge of Public Health?
A 200-page policy report argues that global public health is no longer being driven by the needs of countries, but by financial incentives. At the center of that argument is Professor Ramesh Thakur—a former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and principal writer of Kofi Annan’s UN reform report. He spent years inside the system […]
The Future of Free Speech
Freedom of speech is an integral aspect of authentic freedom, grounded in the distinctively human capacity to adhere to truth through persuasion rather than imposition. While truth is objective and independent of the knowing subject, it can only be received by the subject freely. We can contrast this with a thinly grounded notion of freedom […]
Accountability for the Vaccine-Injured: A Senator Steps Up
Five years is a significant milestone in any chronic illness. People can endure extraordinary physical pain, financial hardship, and emotional suffering if they that believe recovery is just around the corner. Hope often carries them through. But after five years, hope itself begins to erode. Savings have been exhausted. Careers have been interrupted or lost. […]
FDA Leadership’s “Blind Spots” Lead to a Surge in Medical Device and Drug Recalls
Americans assume that when they pick up a prescription from their pharmacy, an FDA quality control professional has verified that the contents are manufactured to rigorous agency standards. Unfortunately, that assumption is becoming harder to defend. For decades, the FDA’s drug oversight model has depended on in-person inspections of the manufacturing practice and independent verification […]