Major Journal under Fire for Omitting Pfizer’s Failed Flu Data in Seniors

In this Brownstone Institute article, Maryanne Demasi reports that Pfizer’s mRNA flu shot trial is drawing scrutiny because unfavorable data from seniors were allegedly left out of the New England Journal of Medicine’s published article.

• Demasi says the NEJM article on Pfizer’s mRNA flu shot did not include results from trial participants aged 65 and older, even though seniors are the population most at risk from influenza.
• According to the article, the missing over-65 data were instead posted on ClinicalTrials.gov, where they received far less attention than they would have in a major journal publication.
• MIT professor Retsef Levi reportedly found the omitted cohort while reviewing trial documents and argued that the absence of the data was “unacceptable.”
• The article claims the trial enrolled about 27,000 participants aged 65 and older and that Pfizer’s mRNA flu shot failed to outperform the traditional flu shot in that group.
• Demasi reports that the mRNA shot also produced slightly higher rates of mild-to-moderate reactions such as injection-site pain and fatigue.
• Levi is quoted accusing the NEJM review process of either gross negligence or worse, arguing that selective publication of results damages public trust in science.
• The piece also raises concerns about NEJM Editor-in-Chief Dr. Eric Rubin, noting his role on the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee.
• Demasi argues that the case reflects a broader problem of selective reporting, where unfavorable trial data can be technically available but effectively buried from clinicians, policymakers, and the public.
• The article concludes by framing the issue as a test for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s stated commitment to confronting regulatory capture and demanding transparency in medical publishing.

Read the full story: https://brownstone.org/articles/major-journal-under-fire-for-omitting-pfizers-failed-flu-data-in-seniors/