Dismay as RFK Jr ousts CDC vaccine advisors
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has removed all 17 members of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practices (ACIP), accusing them of "rubber stamping" decisions that benefit the pharma industry.
The move – the strongest signal yet of a worrying shift in vaccine policy under the Trump administration – could allow Kennedy to appoint new ACIP members who lean towards his own well-documented vaccine scepticism.
Those candidates have reportedly already been largely selected ahead of the next scheduled ACIP meeting due to be held from 25th to 27th June.
"A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science," said Kennedy in a statement, accusing the Biden administration, which appointed all 17, of a "concerted effort to lock in public health ideology" and block the new administration's agenda.
Usually, the ACIP is not considered to have a partisan agenda. Its deliberations are critical for vaccine manufacturers because, under US law, health payers generally follow panel recommendations in their coverage decisions.
Likely anticipating pushback from those who are concerned the move has been driven by his views on vaccines, Kennedy claimed that the aim is "the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda," adding: "The committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas."
The ACIP terminations come after Kennedy and other senior health officials in the administration have started to clamp down on vaccines, particularly COVID-19 shots, which now have stricter rules on the clinical trials needed to support approval, narrower labels for new boosters, and additional safety warnings.
Former CDC director and chief executive of the Resolve to Save Lives (RTSL) global health charity Tom Frieden dismissed as entirely false that the ACIP panellists had conflicts of interest, saying the move was a "dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe" and has "opened the door for fringe theories rather than facts to guide the recommendations that doctors rely on to protect patients."
In a post on social media, Frieden added: "If this leads to vaccines not being recommended, millions of people could lose access, pay more for vaccines and for preventable illnesses, and children will be at greater risk of diseases we haven't faced in decades."
American Public Health Association (APHA) executive director Georges Benjamin also weighed in on what he called a "coup" of the ACIP.
"Today's ACIP members are some of the most qualified individuals to evaluate vaccines. They possess deep understanding of science and were vetted for conflicts of interest prior to appointment," he pointed out.
"Removing all ACIP members at once is not how democracies work and it's not good for the health of the nation," added Benjamin.
"RFK says he wants to restore trust and transparency. This action immediately raises concern over the ability of any slate of committee members appointed by the Trump administration to be viewed as impartial to RFK's views on any decision, and therefore, their actions will be suspect and likely mistrusted."
