RFK Jr. wants all new vaccines tested against a placebo. Doctors say that isn’t good science

RFK Jr. wants all new vaccines tested against a placebo. Doctors say that isn’t good science Nation Sep 9, 2025 4:29 PM EDT

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants all health research stakeholders to commit to a “gold standard” when it comes to scientific research, including testing all new vaccines against a placebo before the Food and Drug Administration can approve them.

“Our commitment is clear: every innovation in vaccine development must be grounded in gold standard science and transparency, and subjected to the highest standards of safety and efficacy testing,” Kennedy said in a statement in May .

But doctors and the medical community at large say that requiring placebo-testing is not always good science, and it can be unethical.

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