Britain's medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has come under fire for allegedly failing to warn the public about the side effects of Covid vaccines. A cross-party group of MPs and peers called for an urgent investigation into the MHRA, accusing the agency of putting Brits at risk by not taking action sooner. The MPs claim that the MHRA knew about heart risks associated with the vaccines as early as February 2021 but only alerted the public several months later in June.
The side effects in question are myocarditis and pericarditis, both rare cardiovascular complications involving inflammation of tissues in or around the heart. While these conditions have been linked to Covid vaccines, particularly the mRNA versions made by Pfizer and Moderna, experts maintain that the vaccines are still safe overall. Steve Brine, the chairman of the health committee, has responded to the MPs' letter by stating that an inquiry into patient safety is very likely.
The MPs' letter also highlighted emails from the European Medicines Agency in March 2021, which discussed conversations with the MHRA about myocarditis cases following Covid vaccinations. The MPs argue that this contradicts the MHRA's delay in alerting the public about the potential risks. Additionally, Freedom of Information requests revealed that the MHRA had not conducted or requested studies testing the link between the vaccines and myocarditis and pericarditis.
This is not the first time concerns have been raised about the MHRA's actions regarding vaccine safety. In a separate letter, the MPs expressed serious patient safety concerns and accused the regulator of operating in a way that puts patients at risk. The letter also cited reports of vaccine-induced blood clots after receiving an AstraZeneca jab on February 7, 2021, and compared the MHRA's response to that of Denmark and other European nations, which suspended the vaccine in March.
The MHRA defended its actions, stating that it recovers operational costs from the pharmaceutical sector and that its proactive and continuous monitoring strategy for Covid vaccines led to action being taken when safety concerns were identified. The agency also emphasized that its position on myocarditis is determined by all available evidence, not just one source.
The MHRA's handling of vaccine safety concerns raises questions about the agency's prioritization of patient safety. The MPs argue that ongoing proactive safety monitoring is necessary for all drugs, not just Covid vaccines. They cite an example where an NHS trust found over a thousand bleed-related emergency admissions as a side effect of taking an anticoagulant medication but only reported six cases to the MHRA.
