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Hahn Defends Using Less ‘Robust’ Data During COVID, But Critics Contend It Has Gone Too Far

 
• By Sarah Karlin-Smith

US FDA Commissioner Hahn says agency's choice to make fast decisions on less robust data sets during COVID-19, paired with constantly reevaluating these decisions drives best public health outcomes. But critics argue the agency may be pushing the bar too low and needs to be more transparent about the evidence it is using for emergency use authorizations.

Stephen Hahn of MD Anderson Cancer Center is expected to be nominated for FDA commissioner
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn gave an update on the agency's COVID-19 efforts this week

The US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn defended the agency’s decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic as being rooted in “good data and sound science,” while acknowledging that it has made risk-benefit decisions on medical products using “data sets that might not be as robust as they would under normal circumstances.”

In a speech given over teleconference to the Alliance For A Stronger FDA on Monday, Hahn also said that FDA...

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