The claim: COVID-19 vaccines didn't pass animal studiesControversy continues to surround the use of ivermectin despite warnings from health officials and a lack of evidence that it has any preventative benefits against COVID-19.Now some proponents of the anti-parasitic drug traditionally used for animals are falsely claiming COVID-19 vaccinations haven't passed animal studies.“The people making horse medicine jokes are getting injections that haven’t passed animal studies,” claims an image in singer Ted Nugent's Sept. 7 Facebook post. Fact check: Post about ivermectin and Afghan refugees is missing contextThe post received more than 2,500 shares in its first three days.But the claim is wrong. Each of the COVID-19 vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. have completed animal testing. USA TODAY reached out to Nugent for comment.Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson each completed animal testingPfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson produce the only COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration. Moderna and Johnson & Johnson continue to roll out vaccines under Emergency Use Authorizations. Pfizer became the first vaccine to gain official FDA approval in August.All have conducted animal testing on their vaccines.Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson each discussed their vaccines’ animal studies in press releases. In each of the vaccines’ animal testing trials, the vaccines showed they effectively limit COVID-19 contraction. In the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Emergency Use Authorization forms, the FDA referenced the results from each of the vaccines’ animal studies. Fact check:Post falsely claims Pfizer lab in Spain went up in flamesThe results from these animal studies were also published in peer-reviewed journals.FDA spokesperson Alison Hunt told USA TODAY the claim is "not true."In May, USA TODAY debunked a claim that COVID-19 vaccine makers had to halt animal testing due to widespread deaths.Our rating: FalseWe rate FALSE the claim that COVID-19 vaccines didn't pass animal studies, based on our research. Each of the vaccines currently authorized for use in the U.S. has passed animal testing. The FDA referenced these studies in the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines’ Emergency Use Authorization forms, and an FDA spokesperson confirmed this claim is false.Our fact-check sources:The Associated Press, Nov. 25, 2020, Pfizer and Moderna did not skip animal trialsUSA TODAY, March. 27, Comparing the COVID-19 vaccinesUSA TODAY, Aug. 23, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine becomes first to win FDA's full approval, paving way for boosters, mandatesPfizer, Sept. 9, 2020, PFIZER AND BIONTECH ANNOUNCE DATA FROM PRECLINICAL STUDIES OF MRNA-BASED VACCINE CANDIDATE AGAINST COVID-19Moderna, July 28, 2020, Moderna Announces Publication in The New England Journal of Medicine of Non-Human Primate Preclinical Viral Challenge Study of its mRNA Vaccine Against COVID-19 (mRNA-1273)Johnson & Johnson, July 30, 2020, Single Dose of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate Demonstrates Robust Protection in Pre-clinical StudiesFood and Drug Administration, Dec. 11, 2020, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Review MemorandumFood and Drug Administration, Dec. 18, 2020, Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Review MemorandumFood and Drug Administration, Feb. 27, Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine Emergency Use Authorization Review MemorandumNature, Feb. 1, BNT162b vaccines protect rhesus macaques from SARS-CoV-2The New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 15, 2020, Evaluation of the mRNA-1273 Vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 in Nonhuman PrimatesNature Medicine, Sept. 3, 2020, Ad26 vaccine protects against SARS-CoV-2 severe clinical disease in hamstersAlison Hunt, Sept. 10, Email correspondence with USA TODAYReuters, June 1, Fact Check-COVID-19 vaccines did not skip animal trials because of animal deathsUSA TODAY, May 20, Fact check: COVID-19 vaccine makers did not halt animal tests, and there were no widespread animal deathsThank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook. Source link
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