Report Shows UK Public Support Relaxed Vaccine Regulations

According to a report from commercial law firm, Hill Dickinson, there is general support by the public of the United Kingdom that vaccine regulations should be relaxed in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic; however, additional long-term checks are expected to balance out any potential risks. An overview of the report was published in a June 11, 2020 press release.

In a survey of 1022 UK adults, nearly two-thirds (64%) of respondents agreed that regulators should be able to relax vaccine requirements, and more than half of respondents (55%) acknowledged that some patients may die as a result of side effects of COVID-19 treatments that have been made available through an accelerated process. Additionally, the survey revealed that more than three-quarters (78%) of respondents believed that any treatment approved through a shortened process should be subjected to additional long-term monitoring.

Regulatory bodies around the world have been working to include a multitude of measures that help advance medical interventions designed to treat COVID-19 more quickly. In the UK, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has introduced several fast-track measures, including expediting clinical trial applications for new COVID-19 treatments.

“The UK regulatory process has adapted very quickly in response to the pandemic, enabling rapid scientific advice, review, and approval. For example, the MHRA approved the Oxford vaccine trial in just over a week,” said James Lawford Davies, partner at Hill Dickinson, in the press release. “Prioritizing COVID-19 assessments should not compromise the safety of trial participants or the thoroughness of the review, but it is interesting to see how the public perceive the balance of risk and benefit.”

The full report and more details on survey results can be found on Hill Dickinson’s website.

Source: Hill Dickinson