A week after he was sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is already eyeing the removal of federal advisers on vaccine approvals and other crucial public health decisions, according to Politico.
Two people familiar with the plans told the publication that Kennedy was looking to remove members of advisory committees on a number of issues, including the approval of vaccines. Kennedy has long complained about members of the panels having ties to the industries they are supposed to regulate.
He has only just begun making evaluations and has yet to decide who or how many people will be replaced, Politico reported.
In his first address to the Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy said he was keen on removing conflicts of interest in the agency’s advisory committees.
“We will remove conflicts of interest from the committees and research partners whenever possible or balance them with other stakeholders,” he said on Tuesday. “We will shut the revolving door.”
The shake-up is likely to target the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which makes recommendations for the licensing and administration of vaccines.
The committee is composed of up to 19 members who are independent medical and public health experts not employed by the CDC.
Kennedy and his aides are also reportedly scrutinizing other outside panels, including those that advise the Food and Drug Administration.
Kennedy, a notorious vaccine skeptic, pledged during his Senate confirmation hearings to honor ACIP’s decisions without changes. He has long accused ACIP of being rife with conflicts of interest, though members are vetted and obligated to file disclosure reports.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician by trade who was seen as a key swing vote during Kennedy’s nomination process, ultimately voted in favor of the firebrand after he gave assurances that he would not touch already approved vaccines.
The ACIP postponed what was supposed to be its first meeting under Kennedy “to accommodate public comment in advance of the meeting,” HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told Politico.
