NVIC participates in NVAC-sponsored meeting to discuss the U.S. vaccine safety system

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) participated in a meeting sponsored by the federal National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) and facilitated by The Keystone Center April 11-13 in Salt Lake City to discuss strengthening the U.S. vaccine safety system. The meeting was co-chaired by NVIC Director of Government Relations, Tawny Buck. Invited participants represented a diverse group of government and private stakeholders, who agreed that an effective national vaccine safety system would benefit from both internal and independent, external assessment and a focus on detection, prevention and reduction of vaccine adverse events.

“It was encouraging that a diversity of perspectives were brought to the table. Acknowledgement of the importance of independent, external assessment and reducing vaccine risks for individuals is an excellent starting point for improving confidence in the integrity of the vaccine safety system.”

NVIC has long supported the creation of an independently operated and funded vaccine safety agency that reports directly to the President. Meeting participant NVIC Co-founder and President, Barbara Loe Fisher said, "It was encouraging that a diversity of perspectives were brought to the table. Acknowledgement of the importance of independent, external assessment and reducing vaccine risks for individuals is an excellent starting point for improving confidence in the integrity of the vaccine safety system." On June 1, a public meeting sponsored by NVAC will be held in Washington, D.C. to obtain further public input on strengthening the vaccine safety system.

The federal public engagement initiative occurred against the backdrop of an emerging safety issue related to vaccine contamination. The FDA's vaccine licensing advisory committee (VRBPAC) will meet May 7^th to discuss vaccine contamination following the FDA's March recommendation to suspend use of Rotarix vaccine after pig virus DNA was discovered in the vaccine. As the VRBPAC consumer representative, Dr. Debold cast the only dissenting vote during 2008 FDA pre-licensure hearings on Rotarix vaccine safety. Additionally, during VRBPAC's November 2009 meeting, NVIC's Fisher questioned the potential for insect virus contamination of an experimental H1N1 vaccine grown in caterpillar cells.

In 2009, NVAC reviewed the federal vaccine research agenda and NVIC supported creating a robust national vaccine safety research agenda, including a study comparing health outcomes in highly vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. In June 2009, NVAC unanimously recommended the expanded federal vaccine safety research agenda and the feasibility of conducting a study to evaluate vaccine health outcomes.