On December 6, 2024, a federal judge ordered the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to release documents related to the emergency use authorisation of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. These documents had been hidden from public view.

(Article republished from Blog.MaryanneDemasi.com)

The legal battle traces back to September 2021, when attorney Aaron Siri filed a lawsuit under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) on behalf of the Public Health and Medical Professionals for Transparency. The plaintiffs sought access to the vast trove of documents the FDA relied on to approve Pfizer’s vaccine.

Initially, the FDA proposed a slow release schedule. In November 2021, the agency stated it would release just 500 pages per month—a pace that would have stretched the full disclosure process to 75 years.

However, in January 2022, District Judge Mark Pittman of Texas rejected the FDA’s proposal, ordering the agency to expedite its release to 55,000 pages per month, aiming to complete the disclosure of all 450,000 pages by August 2022.

As the documents trickled out, researchers began uncovering glaring gaps that prevented a systematic review of the data. These gaps fueled suspicions about what else the FDA might be withholding.

It became evident that the FDA had withheld records directly tied to its emergency use authorisation of Pfizer’s vaccine, estimated to be over one million pages.

These documents, which the FDA had full knowledge of, were excluded from earlier disclosures, effectively misleading the judiciary and undermining public trust.

Siri didn’t mince words.

“The FDA has been hiding a million pages from the Court, the plaintiff, and the public. Only those concerned about the truth seek to conceal evidence,” said Siri in an interview.

“The FDA here is clearly concerned about the truth and lacks confidence in the review that it conducted to license Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine because it is doing everything possible to prevent independent scientists from conducting an independent review,” he added.

Judge Pittman’s latest court order to expedite the full disclosure of documents acknowledges the public’s right to scrutinise the data that underpin one of the most significant public health interventions in history.

In his ruling, Judge Pittman invoked a powerful reminder from American revolutionary Patrick Henry: “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”

Pittman concluded, “The COVID-19 pandemic is long passed, and so has any legitimate reason for concealing from the American people the information relied upon by the government in approving the Pfizer vaccine.”

According to the latest court order, the additional documents are slated for release by June 2025. However, Siri is unsure about whether the FDA will release these records in installments or in a single tranche. Either way, he is not taking any chances.

Siri issued a legal notice to the FDA and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, warning against the destruction, deletion, or modification of any relevant documents and vowing to report any such violations to the Department of Justice.

“The FDA has spent far too long thinking it can do whatever it wants without accountability,” Siri said.

He speculated that the FDA may try to extend its deadline and prolong the legal battle, given its army of attorneys and vast resources.

“I think they’re hoping that we will just go away. What the FDA doesn’t know is that we’re never going away. We won’t stop fighting for freedom and rights, ever,” added Siri defiantly.

A spokesperson at the FDA said it “does not comment on ongoing litigation.”

Read more at: Blog.MaryanneDemasi.com