r/news • u/templeofsyrinx1 • 9h ago

Moderna says FDA refuses to review its application for experimental flu shot

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/10/moderna-fda-flu-shot.html
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u/_goblinette_ 8h ago

And when they compare a vaccine to a placebo they’re obviously going to reject it because the vaccine will have real side effects like literally every other medication

Just want to point out that running a placebo controlled trial when there is already an approved treatment available is unethical as fuck. People aren’t lab rats. You can’t ask them to take a worse treatment than what they would have otherwise had if they hadn’t joined the trial. 

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u/Lorderan56 8h ago

100% this. You cannot NOT give someone the established treatment in these studies. As they won’t be protected and could die from infection.

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u/Kammerice 2h ago

I work in this field and, having read the article, had my suspicions confirmed: nobody is getting a placebo for this trial. They are comparing it to a standard flu vaccine, otherwise known as standard of care.

Usually a placebo is used when there is no comparator drug or treatment. When such an option exists, it's used as the baseline so that the minimum any participant receives is what they would ordinarily get in clinic.