Michael Gusmano, a Rutgers bioethicist and health policy expert, is available to discuss the pledge by drug manufacturers to uphold ethical standards and scientific principles in the global quest for a COVID-19 vaccine.
“The safety pledge indicates the pharmaceutical industry recognizes the impact of public trust and that a premature release of a COVID-19 vaccine will undermine public health and leave many people unwilling to accept a vaccine that has not completed appropriate testing in phase 3 clinical trials,” said Gusmano. “It’s also dangerous to have political pressures influence medical decisions given the FDA’s approval for a vaccine should be driven by science and not by electoral concerns of any political party or any elected official. Suppose an under-tested vaccine caused harm or failed to deliver its benefit. That could undermine public trust in other highly safe, effective vaccines and drug companies, which are already under attack from the anti-vaccine movement.”
As Rutgers University participates in COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials, it upholds ten principles to guide researchers. To learn more about the University’s principles, click here.
Gusmano is a professor and concentration director of Health Systems and Policy at the Rutgers School of Public Health.
To interview Gusmano, contact Maud Alobawone at modesta.alobawone@rutgers.edu or (848) 445-1913.
About RBHS
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) takes an integrated approach to educating students, providing clinical care and conducting research, all with the goal of improving human health. Aligned with Rutgers University–New Brunswick, and collaborating university-wide, RBHS includes eight schools, a behavioral health network and four centers and institutes. RBHS offers an outstanding education in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, public health, nursing, biomedical research and the full spectrum of allied health careers. RBHS clinical and academic facilities are located throughout the state.
