AFP Urges Congress to Remove Red Tape Slowing COVID-19 Vaccine

Jul 21, 2020 by AFP

Arlington, VA – Ahead of today’s House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing with COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is urging members to remove the red tape standing in the path of our nation’s medical innovators. The hearing will focus primarily on the Health and Human Services Department’s Operation Warp Speed, a plan that allows vaccine developers to prove safety and efficacy at the same time rather than in sequence.

Americans for Prosperity Senior Health Policy Fellow Dean Clancy issued the following statement:

“While far from perfect, Operation Warp Speed deserves praise for addressing the urgent need to remove the red tape that stands between medical innovators and real solutions. Proving safety and efficacy on parallel tracks saves an enormous amount of time and could presumably save many lives. Ultimately, the efficacy requirement should be removed with respect to non-vaccine therapies, but we’re pleased to see Congress and the administration recognize the need to dramatically speed up the regulatory process surrounding vaccine approval. COVID-19 pits us in a race against the clock to save lives and our own regulatory framework should not be the primary barrier. We urge Congress to do everything in its power to make our vaccine trials as safe and expeditious as possible.”

AFP recently released a video series titled “Lessons from the Pandemic” focused on the need to remove the red tape that often stands in the path of timely medical innovation. The group has argued that removing outdated processes at the FDA could help bring a vaccine to the public faster. You can view that two-minute video here. AFP launched in April the “Health Care Reimagined” campaign focused on enacting meaningful health care reforms that leave America better prepared to handle the next crisis.

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