WASHINGTON: Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has fired all members sitting on a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts and is reconstituting the committee, his department said on Monday (Jun 9).
Kennedy removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement, and is in the process of considering new members to replace them.
“Today we are prioritising the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda,” Kennedy said. “The public must know that unbiased science – evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest – guides the recommendations of our health agencies.”
Kennedy claimed that ACIP is rife with conflicts and has never turned down a vaccine, but the decision to approve vaccines rests with the US Food and Drug Administration. ACIP provides guidance to the CDC on which groups of people would most benefit from an already-approved vaccine, and when they should get it.
“That’s a tragedy,” former FDA Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman said of the firings. “This is a highly professional group of scientists and physicians and others … It’s the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence.”
Shares of vaccine makers Moderna and US-listed shares of BioNTech fell more than 1 per cent, while Pfizer was down marginally in extended trading on Monday.
Kennedy, who for many years has questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, making claims contrary to scientific evidence, said most ACIP members receive funding from drugmakers.
But ACIP members are required to declare any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that arise in the course of ACIP tenure and any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organisations relevant to the work of the ACIP.
ACIP members are required to disclose everything as part of the application process, said one fired member who spoke on condition of anonymity, including investments and all sources of income.
Kennedy and HHS provided no specific evidence of industry conflicts of interest among departing ACIP members. The CDC’s web page for conflicts of interest, last updated in March, showed that one current member had recused herself from votes on a handful of vaccines because she had worked on clinical trials for their manufacturers.
