The US Secretary of Health announced the dismissal of all 17 vaccine experts on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices due to “conflicts of interest”.
“Today, we will put our highest priority on restoring public trust, rather than following biased views, whether pro- or anti-vaccine,” US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on June 9, announcing the dismissal of all 17 experts on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an important advisory panel on federal vaccine policy.
Secretary Kennedy said ACIP members were “influenced by longstanding conflicts of interest,” referring to their ties to pharmaceutical corporations, and “were reduced to stamping approval on every vaccine.” He provided no evidence for his accusations.
Kennedy said he is considering new candidates to replace all of the dismissed members, noting that all previous committee members were appointed under former President Joe Biden.
“The public has a right to know that every recommendation from health authorities is based on objective science, evaluated through a transparent process and free from any conflicts of interest,” he said.
US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks in Washington on April 16. Photo: AP
In theory, ACIP members are selected based on recognized professional qualifications and are required to disclose any connections that might lead to conflicts of interest.
The next ACIP meeting is scheduled for June 25-27 at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, and is expected to discuss vaccines for anthrax, Covid-19, HPV, influenza, Lyme disease, RSV, and more. It is unclear whether the meeting will take place after Secretary Kennedy’s decision.
Kennedy’s decision has been met with fierce criticism. Pediatrician Paul Offit, a leading expert in virology and immunology and a former member of the ACIP from 1998 to 2003, accused the US Secretary of Health of having a prejudice that “anyone who speaks well of vaccines or recommends vaccination must be in cahoots with the pharmaceutical industry.”
A prominent environmental lawyer, Mr. Kennedy turned to public health in the 2000s, leading a nonprofit that has pushed for fewer childhood vaccinations and has spread controversial stories, including the scientifically disproven conspiracy theory that the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine causes autism.
Since taking office as health secretary, Kennedy has made it harder for the public to get the Covid-19 vaccine. He has continued to raise concerns about the MMR vaccine, even as the United States is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in years, with three deaths and more than 1,100 confirmed cases.
“Mr. Kennedy and the Trump administration are destroying programs that keep Americans safe and healthy,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
Meanwhile, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician by training who publicly voiced concerns about Mr. Kennedy when he was nominated, is more concerned about the future of ACIP.
“The scariest thing right now is that ACIP could be filled with advisors who know nothing about vaccines, only skepticism. I just spoke with Secretary Kennedy and will continue to have conversations to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Cassidy said.
