Dear Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s handling of my FOI request ‘Full nucleotide base sequences for all of the COVID vaccines approved by the MRHA’.

In addition to my previous communication I also wish to add the following:

The Government are promoting vaccination of the public with RNA and yet the same Government via its Regulatory authority, the MHRA, state the public has no right to know what that RNA is in order to protect the commercial interests of the companies who developed it!!!

This demonstrates a profound lack of transparency.

The RNA is the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in the vaccine injection, that means it is the one ingredient that produces the biological response and creates the intended effects. I know of no other examples where the full chemical structure of the API for any drug product is not freely available in the public domain.

I find it incredulous the Government can promote vaccination to all UK citizens aged 16 and older, to mandate vaccination under certain circumstances and to have an NHS vaccine passport system to enable entry to select public places and events and yet the actual chemical substance (the RNA sequence) of the API is being actively withheld from the public’s knowledge in the guise of company confidentiality.

How can any individual give their informed consent to vaccination when the Government refuses to tell them exactly what they are being injected with?

I have requested an internal review of my FOI request

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is available on the Internet at this address: https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/f…

Yours faithfully,

Dr Lee Proctor

Response

Dear Dr Lee Proctor,

Thank you for your email.

Regarding your request, dated 14 July 2021, for supporting documentation for full nucleotide base sequence for the mRNA used in both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID vaccines and full nucleotide base sequence used in the recombinant DNA of the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson and Johnson vaccines is exempt under Section 41 (Information provided in confidence) and Section 43 (Commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.

Section 41 is an absolute exemption and no consideration of the public interest is required, except to state that we consider its disclosure to constitute an actionable breach of confidence.

Section 43 is a qualified exemption and a consideration of the public interest should be made. We have considered the public interest and cannot see any public interest argument that outweighs the commercial harm in providing commercial secrets to competitors, who would be able to use this information to aid the development of their own rival product.

If you disagree with how we have interpreted the Freedom of Information Act 2000 with regards to your request, you can ask for the decision to be reviewed. The review will be carried out by a senior member of the Agency who was not involved with the original decision.

If you have a query about the information provided, please reply to this email

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date you receive this response and addressed to: [MHRA request email]

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, we are not able to accept delivery of any documents or correspondence by post or courier to any of our offices

Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

If you were to remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you would have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please bear in mind that the Information Commissioner will not normally review our handling of your request unless you have first contacted us to conduct an internal review. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Yours sincerely

MHRA Customer Service Centre

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU