Placebo-controlled trials can be dangerous when safer alternatives already exist. That’s why scientists now use active comparator trials to ensure safety and protect lives. Forcing placebo use across the board isn’t science—it’s recklessness disguised as “gold standard science.”

Ethical trials require clinical equipoise, meaning that there is real uncertainty about which option is better. No one should be deliberately left vulnerable to serious illness.

Should ALL new vaccines be tested against a placebo? Not always! Here’s why that can be unethical: If a proven vaccine already exists, giving someone a placebo means withholding protection and putting them at risk. That’s a clear violation of medical ethics.

Newer vaccines that are built off of previous ones such as combination vaccines like MMR, updated boosters for influenza or COVID-19, or adding serotypes to previous pneumonia vaccines use active-comparator and immunobridging studies which are safe and scientifically valid methods to ensure safety.