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Friday, Aug. 7, 2020

Are vaccine manufacturers in the US legally liable for side effects related to their vaccines?

Allegra Taylor, Gigafact
no

Laws in the U.S. largely protect vaccine manufacturers from liability for vaccine-related harm.

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 was created in response to a rise in vaccine-related litigation in the 1970s and 1980s that lawmakers feared would drive vaccine manufacturers out of the market.

The law established a federal court program for vaccine injury claims. The program allows injured parties to be compensated while limiting liability for manufacturers, so long as the manufacturers comply with regulatory requirements. Damages are paid through a tax on vaccines.

In a 2011 case the Supreme Court expanded the Vaccine Act by ruling that manufacturers are protected from lawsuits alleging injuries from defectively designed vaccines.

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