National Academies review of harms of covid-19 vaccines is flawed

The final report overlooked data and failed to disclose the panel's conflicts of interest.

In January 2023, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) announced it would convene a panel of independent experts to carry out a “consensus study” reviewing the evidence of covid-19 vaccine harms.

The panel would “establish, accept, or reject a causal relationship” between the vaccines and a list of 19 adverse events - including serious conditions like infertility, blood clots, strokes, and nerve damage.

The review - commissioned by the Health Resources and Services Administration - would have huge ramifications because its findings would likely dictate whether people who filed a claim with the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program would receive compensation for their covid-19 vaccine injuries.

An independent panel?

Billed as a review by ‘independent’ experts, I asked NASEM in January 2023 to disclose the names and financial conflicts of interest (COIs) of all panel members.

But NASEM responded saying, “The National Academies do not distribute completed conflict of interest forms.”

NASEM was asked to clarify if this meant that there were no COIs to declare, or if they simply refused to publish the disclosures.

“This project is still in its early stages,” wrote a spokesperson. “At this point the committee is still provisional and any updates to committee or disclosures will be posted online per the National Academies policies and procedures.”

So, I waited for the final report.

The final report