Trump pushes to separate the MMR vaccine despite drugmakers saying there’s no proven benefit
TheGrio...
Manufacturers currently offer only the combined vaccine, while experts warn separate shots could increase costs and missed appointments.
President Donald Trump’s push to separate the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three individual shots is running into a basic problem: U.S. manufacturers do not currently make them separately. Trump’s MMR vaccine plan follows earlier efforts to recommend fewer childhood vaccines and comes months after a federal judge blocked vaccine restrictions that advocates warned could worsen access for Black children.
AP reported that Trump’s Aug. 10 executive order directs federal officials to develop plans within 90 days for separating the MMR vaccine and spacing other childhood vaccinations across different medical visits.
Merck, GSK and other companies supplying childhood vaccines in the United States currently sell only combination versions of the MMR shot. Merck said there is no published scientific evidence showing a benefit to separating the three vaccines. Both companies said they stand behind the safety and effectiveness of their products, but neither announced plans to develop standalone versions.
Individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have not been widely used in the United States for decades. Former FDA vaccine chief Dr. Jesse Goodman told AP that manufacturers could face new studies, regulatory reviews and major investments in production facilities before separate shots could return.
Industry experts said designing, building and receiving federal approval for new vaccine plants can take about five years. The FDA would also have to license each vaccine separately.
The White House says separating the shots would give parents more choices over vaccination timing and ultimately increase vaccination rates.
Public health specialists cited by AP dispute the need for the change. Dr. Anna Durbin of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said separating the vaccines would make vaccination less convenient and more expensive, increasing the risk that families miss appointments.
TheGrio reported in March that Black children are less likely than white children to have received recommended childhood vaccinations, with access, economic conditions and vaccine confidence among the factors involved.
Trump’s order cannot force manufacturers to produce new shots, and states retain authority over school vaccine mandates. For now, the Trump MMR vaccine plan depends heavily on companies choosing to develop products they have little business incentive to make.