FDA withdrew studies finding Covid and shingles vaccines were safe

Cnbc · May 05, 2026 · 251 words · By Annika Kim Constantino

Political Influence on Science Vaccine Safety and Regulation

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What to know about Political Influence on Science

The Food and Drug Administration blocked the publication of several studies supporting the safety of vaccines against Covid and shingles in recent months, a Health and Human Services Department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

It's the latest effort by the Trump administration to challenge safe and effective shots in the U.S.

Common ground

and make them harder to access for some patients.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political Influence on Science story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that FDA scientists worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records for the studies, which found side effects of the shots to be rare?
How does this story connect Political Influence on Science with Vaccine Safety and Regulation over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/05/fda-studies-covid-shingles-vaccines-safe.html

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Name Calling / Labeling 90% confidence

Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “FDA scientists worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records for the studies, which found side effects of the shots to be rare”

CORROBORATED

The New York Times (via web search) and The Seattle Times report that FDA scientists analyzed millions of records and found side effects to be rare.

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web search NEUTRAL — FDA scientists worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records for the studies, which found side effects of the shots to be rare, the New York Times first reported on Tuesday.
https://businesspressdaily.com/fda-withdrew-studies-finding-…

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web search NEUTRAL — They found serious side effects to be very rare.They only found a concern with one outcome, anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction affecting about 1 in 1 million people, from the Pfizer vaccine. “No …
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/fda-blocked-public…

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web search NEUTRAL — claims that getting the MMR vaccine could be linked to a new kind of autism.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6…

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Claim 2: “The Food and Drug Administration blocked the publication of several studies supporting the safety of vaccines against Covid and shingles in recent months”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including Denver7 and Flipboard, report that the FDA blocked the publication of studies supporting the safety of Covid and shingles vaccines.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States was a mass immunization campaign for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first granted emergency …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_vaccination_in_the_Un…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, sold under the brand name Comirnaty, is an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine developed by the German biotechnology company BioNTech. For its development, BioNTech colla…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pfizer–BioNTech_COVID-19_vacci…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On December 31, 2019, China announced the discovery of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan. The first American case of COVID-19 was reported on January 20, and Health and Human Services Secretary Al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_the_Unite…

+ 2 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal health agencies have cut back research on vaccine development”

CORROBORATED

Reported by CNBC and a web search result stating that under Secretary RFK Jr., federal agencies have cut vaccine research funding.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centers_for_Disease_Control_an…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954), also known by his initials RFK Jr., is an American politician, environmental lawyer, author, conspiracy theorist, and anti-vaccine activist serving …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy_Jr.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The deputy secretary of health and human services (formerly the under secretary of health, education, and welfare, 1953–1979, and the under secretary of health and human services, 1979–1990) is the c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Deputy_Secretary…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 4: “a Health and Human Services Department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday [that the FDA blocked the publication of several studies]”

CORROBORATED

The claim is corroborated by Health Policy Watch and other reports indicating a spokesperson at the US Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the FDA's actions.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fast track is a designation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of an investigational drug for expedited review to facilitate development of drugs that treat a serious or life-thre…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_track_(FDA)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is a federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_Drug_Administration

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James O'Neill is an American science and technology investor who was U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services from June 2025 to February 2026, and concurrently acting Director of the Centers…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_O'Neill_(investor)

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “In February, top FDA officials did not sign off on submitting study abstracts on Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a drug safety conference”

CORROBORATED

Corroborated by The BMJ and the New York Times (via web search), both stating that in February, FDA officials did not sign off on Shingrix study abstracts for a drug safety conference.

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web search NEUTRAL — Then in February, FDA officials didn’t sign off on submitting abstracts of studies on GSK’s shingles vaccine Shingrix at a “major drug safety conference,” according to the report.
https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-blocks-publication-c…

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web search NEUTRAL — Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of two studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and other safety studies on shingles in recent mont…
https://healthpolicy-watch.news/us-food-and-drug-administrat…

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web search NEUTRAL — In February 2026 top FDA officials did not sign off two studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine. The abstracts required approval for submission to a conference on drug safety.
https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj.s896

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Claim 6: “Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal health agencies have attempted to overhaul the childhood immunization schedule”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm this: CNBC reports the attempt, and a web search result mentions a federal judge blocked RFK Jr.'s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule.

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+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid shot studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general narrative of blocked studies is corroborated, the specific detail about the 'October' directive to withdraw two accepted studies is not independently corroborated by multiple distinct news organizations in the provided evidence; the search results for 'October' provided general calendar info rather than specific event confirmation.

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 1, 2025 · In October, autumn comes into full swing. Let’s get in the fall mood! Learn why this month is called October, which holidays to look out for, what to do in the garden, what to bake in th…
https://www.almanac.com/content/month-october-holidays-fun-f…

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web search NEUTRAL — October is commonly associated with the season of autumn in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, and spring in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the seasonal equivalent to April in the Northe…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/October

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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 29, 2025 · October is a month of colorful change, as leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange and red. It’s a time for Halloween decorations, candy corn and cheering for favorite teams on the …
https://www.history.com/articles/october-month-history-facts

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Claim 8: “Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal health agencies have softened Covid shot recommendations”

CORROBORATED

Reported by CNBC and a web search result explicitly stating that under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., federal agencies have softened Covid vaccine recommendations.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In March 2025, a reorganization of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was announced. The planned reorganization includes several organizational changes, including merging…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_U.S._Department_of_Health…

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.