26/11/2025
A series.
Antivaxxer: “You still cant produce even a single study for childhood & s that used an actual saline solution placebo...not another untested & as the placebo to hide significant risk factors.” (The word vaccine is missing multple times because they chose to use a syring emoji instead of the actual word & they don’t copy/paste well)
Facts:
Many vaccines currently administered have been tested against saline placebo in randomized controlled trials. These include both recently developed vaccines and some routine childhood vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccines tested against saline placebo include:
- BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA vaccine in adults and children 5-11 years of age[1][2][3]
- mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine in children 6 months to 5 years of age[4]
- Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen/Johnson & Johnson) adenoviral vector vaccine[5]
- NVX-CoV2373 (Novavax) protein subunit vaccine[6]
- mRNA-1345 RSV vaccine (when coadministered with influenza or COVID-19 vaccines)[7]
Seasonal influenza vaccines have been tested against saline or pharmacologically inert placebos in multiple randomized controlled trials, as documented in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.[8]
HPV vaccine (Gardasil 9) was tested against saline placebo in clinical trials, with detailed safety data comparing vaccine recipients to saline placebo recipients.[9]
These trials demonstrate the use of saline placebo controls across different vaccine platforms (mRNA, adenoviral vector, protein subunit, inactivated) and age groups (from 6 months through older adults). The saline placebo design allows for clear assessment of vaccine-specific adverse events versus those attributable to the injection procedure itself or nocebo responses.
References
1. Evaluation of the BNT162b2 Covid-19 Vaccine in Children 5 to 11 Years of Age. Walter EB, Talaat KR, Sabharwal C, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2022;386(1):35-46. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2116298.
2. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine. Po**ck FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2020;383(27):2603-2615. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2034577.
3. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine through 6 Months. Thomas SJ, Moreira ED, Kitchin N, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;385(19):1761-1773. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2110345.
4. Evaluation of mRNA-1273 Vaccine in Children 6 Months to 5 Years of Age. Anderson EJ, Creech CB, Berthaud V, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2022;387(18):1673-1687. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2209367.
5. Efficacy, Safety, and Immunogenicity of a Booster Regimen of Ad26.COV2.S Vaccine Against COVID-19 (ENSEMBLE2): Results of a Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 3 Trial. Hardt K, Vandebosch A, Sadoff J, et al. The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 2022;22(12):1703-1715. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(22)00506-0.
6. Safety and Efficacy of NVX-CoV2373 Covid-19 Vaccine. Heath PT, Galiza EP, Baxter DN, et al. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2021;385(13):1172-1183. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2107659.
7. Safety and Immunogenicity of mRNA-1345 RSV Vaccine Coadministered With an Influenza or COVID-19 Vaccine in Adults Aged 50 Years or Older: An Observer-Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Randomised, Phase 3 Trial. Goswami J, Cardona JF, Hsu DC, et al. The Lancet. Infectious Diseases. 2025;25(4):411-423. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(24)00589-9.
8. Really Just a Little Prick? A Meta-Analysis on Adverse Events in Placebo Control Groups of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination RCTs. Bender FL, Rief W, Wilhelm M. Vaccine. 2023;41(2):294-303. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2022.11.033.
9. Gardasil 9. Food and Drug Administration (DailyMed).
👉
