Extensive data analysis confirms safety of aluminum adjuvanted vaccines

They found 59 eligible studies that investigated a range of outcomes, including autism, asthma, headache, muscle pain (myalgia), and skin reactions (nodules and granulomas) at the injection site. Studies of investigational vaccines were excluded, as their findings are not directly applicable to existing immunisation programmes.

The studies were of varying quality, but the researchers were able to assess their risk of bias and certainty of evidence using established tools.

Although some case series and one cohort study reported a rare muscle disease (macrophagic myofasciitis or MMF) in some people who had biopsies for musculoskeletal symptoms after vaccination, these studies were generally small and at serious or critical risk of bias, so they did not provide credible evidence of a causal association.

The most consistently documented reactions were persistent nodules or granulomas at the injection site, but they were uncommon, local, and self-limited.

The researchers acknowledge various limitations to their findings, such as evidence on specific vaccine components is sparse compared with whole vaccine research, with a high proportion of methodologically weak studies, predominantly from high-income countries.

However, they say: "Current evidence does not support causal associations between aluminium adjuvanted vaccines and serious or long-term health outcomes. These findings are consistent with the broader post-licensure safety evidence base, which supports continued use of aluminium adjuvanted vaccines in immunisation programmes."

"Taken together, the convergent findings of higher quality studies provide a meaningful evidence base to inform public health decision making on aluminium adjuvanted vaccines," they add.

Source:

The BMJ

Journal reference:

Doyon-Plourde, P., et al (2026). Aluminium adjuvants in vaccines and potential health effects: systematic review. The BMJ. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2025-088921. https://www.bmj.com/content/393/bmj-2025-088921.