I too miss the good old days before the FDA was established. If a person taking a lethal snakeoil medicine dies, he has only himself to blame (posthumously).
How can someone know what's in it if no one is testing medicines or enforcing some set of standards?
Errors exist on both sides. In a time critical scenario like a pandemic, the cost of retarding availability of a vaccine could be enormous.
I don't see the problem with making vaccines (or drugs) that have not received FDA approval available, as long as they are clearly marked as such and informed consent is received.