December 17, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — An FDA advisory panel voted overwhelmingly today to recommend emergency use authorization (EUA) of Moderna’s mRNA 1273 COVID-19 vaccine, with 20 members in favor, and none officially opposing the opinion that the vaccine’s benefits “outweigh its risks for use in individuals 18 years of age and older.”
Only one panel member, Michael Kurrilla, abstained from voting. He explained his decision at the conclusion of the vote, saying, “I’m very uncomfortable with the language. I think in the midst of a pandemic and with limited vaccine supply available, a blanket statement for individuals 18 years of age and older is just too broad.”
“I’m not convinced that for all of those age groups the benefits do actually outweigh the risks, and I would prefer to see it more targeted towards people at high risk of serious and life-threatening (COVID) disease.”
He continued, “I would have preferred to have seen rather than an emergency use authorization route, an expanded access program; I think it would’ve given us a lot more opportunities to continue to collect the data.”
Panel member Sheldon Toubman added that he was strongly in favor of a priority-based sequence of distribution rather than an
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