Senators from both parties emphasized that a distribution framework must be completed and published before the first vaccine is considered safe and effective.
CDC Director Robert Redfield noted the need for strategies to reach underserved populations, including mobile units and pharmacies that he said were not fully utilized in past outbreaks like the 2009 swine flu.
Several Democrats on the panel questioned the terms under which the government could intervene and revoke a pharmacist’s patents for a vaccine if the company overcharged.
The bottom: Multiple potential vaccine candidates are being rushed through trials. An injection that Moderna developed in collaboration with NIH is expected to enter the final stage of human trials this month.
Vaccines are generally prioritized for front-line healthcare workers, followed by older adults, medically vulnerable populations, and others in high-exposure jobs, such as food distribution. But the process may be fraught with policies and challenges such as reaching rural and low-income populations, African Americans and Latin Americans, and other historically underrepresented groups.
Senator Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Chairman of the Senate health committee, supported the idea of letting outside experts set up a distribution framework, saying his only concern was how quickly they could formulate a plan that is equitable.
Whats Next: Collins said discussions on the expert panel were in the early stages. The academy, part of the large National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Redfield also emphasized the importance of enrolling a diverse population in clinical trials for vaccines. He noted that medically vulnerable people and children are not usually included in early trials, but it will be important for those populations to be represented if vaccines are prioritized.
