FDA Refuses to Make Its VAERS Safety Monitoring Analyses Public

In other news: FDA changes the definition of "transparency."

The Epoch Times reported yesterday that the FDA had responded to its FOIA request for its safety monitoring of VAERS using Empirical Bayesian data mining techniques. The FDA told them to take a hike.

Quick background: when we FOIA’d the CDC for their data mining efforts using a method called Proportional Reporting Ratios, they initially told us that they weren’t doing that (even though they said they would). They said it was the FDA’s job (which wasn’t true), and so we should ask the FDA for their safety monitoring analyses using a method called Empirical Bayesian data monitoring, which they claimed was superior (it isn’t).

The Epoch Times beat us to it and already got a response from the FDA:

Not. Gonna. Happen.

What reason did they give? From the Epoch Times article:

The agency cited an exemption to the Freedom of Information Act that lets the government withhold inter-agency and intra-agency memorandums and letters “that would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency.”

The agency also pointed to the Code of Federal Regulations, which says that “all communications within the Executive Branch of the Federal government which are in written form or which are subsequently reduced to writing may be withheld from public disclosure except that factual information which is reasonably segregable in accordance with the rule established in § 20.22 is available for public disclosure.”

I say, if they won’t share it because they don’t have to unless they’re sued, I’d take that as in invitation to sue them!

The Epoch Times article is worth a read, because they did a thorough search for times when the FDA referenced the lack of signal for COVID vaccines from its Bayesian monitoring, including myocarditis. If they aren't picking up on the myocarditis signal then no wonder they can't pick up on any others! (Though I don't believe they didn’t.)

Beyond that, I don’t have more to say. I’m sick to my stomach.