RFK Jr-led commission will assess 'threats' to children

Just hours after the confirmation of Robert F Kennedy Jr as Health and Human Services Secretary, President Trump issued an executive order placing him in charge of a commission on children's health that will assess 'threats' – including "potential over-utilisation of medication."

The order to create the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission does not mention vaccines – about which Kennedy has expressed controversial views in the past – but does make reference to medicines prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics, mood stabilisers, stimulants, and weight-loss drugs."

The document calls for a report within 100 days on the threat posed by these medicines, as well as other factors like some food ingredients and chemicals. It also seeks "fresh thinking" in areas like nutrition and food quality, physical activity, healthy lifestyles, the effects of technologies like smartphones, and environmental impacts.

"Thank you, President Trump, for your leadership, your confidence in me, and your deep concern for the health of the American people," Secretary Kennedy said as he was sworn into the post yesterday.

"You have truly heard the calls of the millions of mothers who simply want the tools – and the truth – so they can make informed decisions for their children," he added. "I have prayed each morning for the past two decades for God to put me in a position to solve the childhood chronic disease epidemic, and now […] we will make this promise a reality."

The pharma industry has been wary of Kennedy's appointment, given his earlier stance on issues like vaccine safety – he founded the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, but now claims he is not "anti-vax", merely "pro-safety" – and other claims including that SARS-CoV2 was engineered to target certain racial groups.

That vaccines were left out of the order will come as a relief, and few would argue against the need for a look at how the medicines highlighted in the text, given prescribing rates among children – particularly for ADHD medications – have been on the rise.

For now, there seems little for industry to be alarmed about in the MAHA Commission brief – as long as there is no creep in its scope. In the meantime, drugmakers are waiting expectantly for news on HHS' plans in other areas like vaccine policy, drug pricing (including Medicare pricing negotiation powers), and a potential ban on direct-to-consumer (FTC) advertising – something for which Kennedy has advocated in the past.

The chief executive of pharma trade organisation PhRMA, Stephen Ubl, alluded to some of those concerns in a statement issued after Kennedy was confirmed to the role, saying: "Strengthening the ecosystem by fixing the flaws of government price setting will help us win the global race for medical innovation."

He also levelled a broadside at the insurance and pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) sectors, calling for measures to "rein in abuses that drive up costs at the pharmacy" and claiming that the middlemen are "pocketing savings on medicines, but making patients pay full price."

"We look forward to working with Secretary Kennedy, the Trump administration, and both parties in Congress to ensure America is stronger, healthier, and remains a global leader in biomedical innovation," said Ubl.