Decoding the Moment: New Rules for Vaccine Approvals

The Trump administration’s sweeping efforts to reshape federal health policy have created a fast-moving, uncertain landscape for the health care sector and policymakers. In response, Penn LDI and Tradeoffs are launching a virtual event series to provide timely, evidence-based discussions on key federal policy changes. Through conversations with leading experts, this series will explore the implications of recent actions and what they signal for the future.

Decoding the Moment kicks off with a virtual seminar on Friday, May 16 focused on the changes to the vaccine approval processes that were announced this week by the Trump administration requiring that all “new” vaccines be tested against a placebo, which HHS described as a “radical departure from past practices.” Public health experts say the change raises timing, ethics, and cost issues and could affect this year’s COVID-19 vaccine updates.

Join the conversation, featuring Paul Offit, MD and Alison Buttenheim, PhD, MBA, moderated by Tradeoffs‘ Dan Gorenstein. The discussion will tackle what is proposed and why, what it could mean for vaccine availability, public confidence, and disease spread.