US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has dismissed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the federal government on vaccine safety and efficacy.
The former members, all appointed by the Biden administration, will be replaced by new ones.
The ACIP consists of members with medical and public health backgrounds and is tasked with providing guidance to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how vaccines should be recommended and used among the civilian population.
Kennedy announced on June 9 that the purpose of the measure is to restore public confidence in vaccine science.
– Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda, he said, adding:
– 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.
According to information from the former Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration, the Biden administration’s appointments meant that the new government would not have been able to appoint a majority of the committee until 2028. Of the 17 members, 13 would have taken office in 2024.
– A clean sweep is necessary to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science, he said, emphasizing that the new members “will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine” and “no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas”.
Prominent vaccine critic
Kennedy has long been a vocal critic of what he describes as a corrupt alliance between the pharmaceutical industry and government agencies. He has promised to reform both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, end mandatory vaccinations, and defend the individual’s right to informed medical decisions.
According to Kennedy, the public has been misled about the risks of vaccines, while pharmaceutical companies are protected from liability when harm occurs. He therefore demands full transparency in both trials and side effects, and wants to break what he sees as the industry’s deep control over research.
Although many see him as an important and powerful voice against the pharmaceutical industry, others are skeptical that his more far-reaching reforms will actually be implemented.
