by Brenda Baletti, Ph.D., Childrens Health Defense:
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be preparing to remove members of the committee that advises the CDC on vaccine policy, two anonymous sources told Politico. The committee was supposed to meet next week, but the meeting has been postponed.
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be preparing to remove members of the committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on vaccine policy, two anonymous sources told Politico.
The report followed the postponement of the regular meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, originally scheduled for Feb 26-28.
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ACIP is described as an independent, nonfederal expert body of professionals with clinical, scientific and public health expertise. The committee meets three times a year, typically in February, June and October to decide which vaccines should be recommended to the public, who should take them and how often — recommendations the CDC typically rubber stamps.
Next week’s meeting was to be the first since Kennedy was confirmed as HHS secretary. A CDC spokesperson would only confirm that the ACIP meeting will be “postponed to accommodate public comment in advance of the meeting,” and that ACIP workgroups met and will present as scheduled at the next meeting.
In addition to issuing general recommendations for shots like COVID-19, RSV, flu and others, the committee is responsible for adding vaccines to the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule. Currently, the CDC recommends that by age 18 a child receive at least 76 doses of 18 different vaccines — including the COVID-19 vaccine.
Once a vaccine is included on the childhood schedule, the drugmaker is protected from liability for any injuries associated with the shot. The combination of school vaccine mandates and no liability guarantees a steady revenue stream for vaccine makers.
“Most ACIP members have a financial conflict of interest with the pharmaceutical companies,” Dr. Meryl Nass, internist, biological warfare expert and long-time ACIP watchdog, said.
“Their decisions almost always appear to reflect pro-industry bias,” she said. “Although they are there to protect the public, few decisions seem to take the public interest into account as the primary concern.”
Kennedy, who has long raised concerns about public health regulators being captured by industry, made eliminating conflicts of interest a key pillar of his platform as HHS secretary. That process may have already begun, although Politico reported the review of committee members has just started and there is no firm timeline for removals.
When HHS postponed the ACIP meeting, mainstream media immediately raised concerns that the postponement signaled a coming shift in national vaccination policies, especially given Kennedy’s criticism of ACIP during his confirmation process.
Politico reported that Kennedy plans to replace members of HHS advisory committees who have conflicts of interest as part of his broader effort to intervene in Big Pharma’s undue influence over regulatory agencies. That effort is “likely to target” ACIP members.
Critics of ACIP told The Defender they were optimistic that the postponement, along with other actions already taken by the CDC such as ending its “Wild to Mild” flu shot campaign, might signal an important shift in vaccine policy and public messaging.
“This postponement raises questions about whether there are internal conflicts or strategic recalibrations underway at the CDC,” said Sayer Ji, founder and editor of GreenMedInfo.
“Given that the outgoing administration stacked ACIP with staunchly pro-vaccine appointees, one could speculate that the postponement is a stalling tactic to ensure continuity of their agenda. Alternatively, it could reflect an effort to re-evaluate and possibly restructure ACIP under new leadership.”
In its final days, the Biden administration quietly stacked ACIP with several new pro-vaccine members, a move intended to “insulate the scientific integrity of the panel from the incoming administration,” STAT News reported.
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