Latest news with #AdvisoryCommitteeforImmunizationPractices
The Hill
4 days ago
- Health
- The Hill
Kennedy is making a mistake injecting politics into immunization policy
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently revamped the federal Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices committee, firing all its members and naming eight new ones in their place. Such abrupt upheaval is in line with the disruptive nature of the current administration, focusing on putting people in positions of authority that support the administration's agenda. But Kennedy deflected any such criticisms, stating that all such changes were necessary due to conflicts of interest that the dismissed committee members had with pharmaceutical companies. Before simply bashing the eight new members, it is worthwhile to recognize that they are all highly accomplished in their fields. The biggest question is whether their experience and skills align with the responsibilities and needs of the advisory committee, and whether such a mix of people will serve the best interests of the nation with respect to immunization policy. Though I cannot comment on all of the new members, I have considerable background in common with two of them — Martin Kulldorf and Retsef Levi. Both graduated from the operations research doctoral program at Cornell University, the same program from which I graduated. Operations research is a field that creates and uses mathematical models to support decision-making. It is widely used across government and numerous industries, including transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. Kulldorf's background is in probability theory. His career path eventually took him to health policy and biostatistics. He was on the faculty of the Harvard Medical School for nearly two decades. His scholarly record is superb. He became most famous during the COVID pandemic for views that were contrary to the mainstream public health field at the time, since he supported natural immunity for young people while protecting the health of the most vulnerable. This was the primary thesis of the Great Barrington Declaration, which he co-authored. Levi is on the faculty of the Sloan School of Management at MIT. He is well trained in mathematical modeling for operations, with a focus on risk mitigation. He has done considerable research on healthcare issues, though it is just one of his many interests, as evidenced by his extensive and diverse list of publications. He is member of the Mass General Research Institute. So why is there such an uproar about these two individuals (as well as the other six members who will constitute the new advisory committee) joining the nation's primary advisory group for immunization policy in the U.S.? The reason is that these new members are not part of the mainstream immunization community. Their views, based on their writings and public statements, are not aligned with what has been recommended by previous members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices. This means that the recommendations of the new committee risks being different from those of previous committees. One place that this could be felt is with the Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule, which is one of the committee's primary responsibilities. Yet before assuming that wholesale changes in this schedule are imminent, several decades of experience with these vaccines have produced a large body of data on their safety and effectiveness. Although the new members may have ideologies that are not considered mainstream, they are also sufficiently skilled to understand data and curious enough to ask questions before making sweeping changes that could affect population health and influence health insurance coverage policies. If Kennedy had added some of these new people to the advisory committee rather than simply firing the entire committee, he would have found far less resistance from the many medical associations and societies asking for reinstatement of the fired members. Instead, he opted to take a more radical approach, which has placed him and the new advisory committee members under needless attack. The recent JAMA article, coauthored by the fired members, masterfully articulates the long history of vaccines and their benefits. It also criticizes the process by which they were fired, and the risks with the new committee. Given the size of the committee, it would behoove Kennedy to reinstate some of the fired members, providing a healthy atmosphere for discussion and debate. Indeed, having a committee that is ideologically biased in any direction is certain to yield suboptimal policies, with the the meeting that starts today being the committee's first test. If Kennedy is so confident in his beliefs, then he should welcome having people on the committee who provide some resistance. Such a balanced environment would give all stakeholders a voice, with the necessary data used to support or deflect new or existing policies. That would temper the politics of any new recommendations and provide a pathway for immunization policy that would best serve the nation's public health interests. Sheldon H. Jacobson, Ph.D., is a professor in the Grainger College of Engineering and the Carle Illinois College of medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
US health chief says he promised Senator Cassidy a vaccine panel member selection
Washington: U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday he promised to allow U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy to pick a candidate for a key panel of vaccine advisers . Kennedy, a long-time vaccine skeptic, named eight members on Wednesday to serve on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, including some who have advocated against vaccines. Kennedy earlier abruptly fired all 17 members who had been serving on the independent expert panel. "You had posted the criticism of my choice by Senator Cassidy and a claim that I had promised Senator Cassidy not to change the vaccine panels. That's not true," Kennedy said during an interview on Fox News' "The Story with Martha MacCallum." "What I told Senator Cassidy is that I would allow him to put one of his candidates on, which we're going to do," he said of the ACIP panel. Cassidy, a Republican doctor from Louisiana who had expressed wariness about Kennedy's anti-vaccine views before clearing the path for him to become the nation's top health official, serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Cassidy explained his reversal at the time by saying he had received assurances Kennedy would protect existing vaccination programs. "If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without changes," Cassidy said in a Senate floor speech after receiving assurances from Kennedy. The senator expressed concern on Monday following the firings that the outgoing members would be replaced by vaccine skeptics and said he would speak to Kennedy to ensure that does not happen. At least half of the replacements Kennedy announced on Wednesday have a history of anti-vaccine advocacy. The American Medical Association called on Cassidy's committee to investigate Kennedy for the firings earlier this week, and on Thursday urged a reversal of the changes to the committee, which advises the CDC on who should get vaccines after they are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Kennedy justified the firings by claiming the panel was rife with conflicts of interest, though he did not provide examples of any such conflicts for any individual adviser or say how that may have influenced specific recommendations.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. fired everyone on a key vaccine panel. Here's who he replaced them with.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced this week that he had removed every member of an independent panel key to vaccine policy and access in America. After removing the 17 members of the panel, Kennedy announced eight new names, many of whom have been skeptical of vaccines. The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), which works under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was recently made up of people with extensive experience in public health, infectious diseases and immunizations. For more than half a century, the panel of experts has used evidence-based data to help evaluate the safety of vaccines that are administered to people — and their guidance is used by insurance companies to determine coverage. Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, claimed the move was aimed at addressing conflicts of interest, though the panel had operated under a comprehensive conflict of interest policy. The unprecedented shakeup could change what vaccines are readily available in the future, including whether they are covered by insurance. Without insurance, some vaccines — including those for COVID-19, HPV and measles, mumps and rubella — could cost people hundreds of dollars out-of-pocket. It's not clear if Kennedy will appoint more members. Here's what to know about his picks: Who is he? A nutritional scientist who has worked as a psychiatrist and professor. His experience on nutritional neurosciences includes a stint as acting chief within the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. In 2018, Hibbeln co-authored research that tested whether a person's fish consumption during the first half of pregnancy is associated with autism. Vaccine experience: Hibbeln has no professional background in vaccines. Who is he? A biostatistician and epidemiologist who is a former professor of medicine at Harvard University. Vaccine experience: Kulldorf has served on a vaccine safety subgroup within ACIP and was a member of an FDA drug safety and risk management advisory committee. He is known for researching the development of vaccine safety surveillance and the monitoring of infectious disease outbreaks. Kulldorf has been highly skeptical of COVID-19 vaccines and related government policies and mandates. In 2024, he said he lost jobs at Harvard and Mass General Brigham because he criticized policies that mandated COVID-19 vaccination. In late 2020, he co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, which proposed reaching herd immunity for COVID-19 through 'natural' infection instead of public health restrictions. He co-wrote the declaration with Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, who was critical of COVID-19 restrictions and is now director of the National Institutes of Health. Kulldorf has aligned publicly with Kennedy on changing the process for vaccine trials. Who is he? A professor of operations management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. According to his university biography, his research includes examining data models and tools used in health care management. Levi has described his work as using data and analytics to assess and manage risk in health systems. Vaccine experience: Levi has no professional background in vaccines. He has challenged the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and its impact on young people. In May, Levi expressed ongoing skepticism of the safety of administering COVID-19 vaccines to pregnant people, despite evidence of its benefits. Who is he? A medical doctor and infectious disease researcher who has gained national attention within right-wing media for his criticism of COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine experience: After the news of his addition to the panel, Malone shared a biography that asserts years of experience in developing and testing vaccines. But Malone has spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. He has claimed credit for inventing mRNA vaccines that have been critical to the fast development of COVID-19 vaccines — an assertion that has been challenged — while also questioning their safety. Malone said in April that the second child who died of measles this year had actually died from other complications, a claim that went against public health officials' statements. Who is he? A professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth University, Meissner served on the committee between 2008 and 2012. Since 2018, he has served on another committee that advises the Food and Drug Administration on vaccines. Vaccine experience: Meissner has in the past defended vaccines, writing in a 2022 article for the New England Journal of Medicine that 'widespread understanding and acceptance of vaccines will be an integral aspect' of limiting the harm of future pandemics. He also helped craft vaccine schedules for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and in 2017 was named the Massachusetts recipient of the CDC Childhood Immunization Award. Recently, Meissner endorsed a move by the CDC to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy children and pregnant people. Those changes were criticized by many major medical groups, including the American College for Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine. In August 2021, he expressed opposition to requiring that children wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID, arguing that kids suffered negative consequences and that the availability of vaccines for adults undermined the need for children to mask. He has also opposed vaccine mandates and signed onto the Great Barrington Declaration. Who is he? An emergency room doctor from Los Angeles Vaccine experience: Pagano does not appear to have any research or work experience related to vaccines readily available. Who is she? A California-based regional director of the National Association of Catholic Nurses and board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, an anti-vax organization that many doctors and public health researchers say is a leading source of vaccine misinformation. Vaccine experience: Pebsworth has argued that vaccines cause chronic illnesses and disabilities in children, a false talking point frequently used by vaccine opponents. She has also done work questioning the safety of the HPV vaccine, which Kennedy also opposes. The uptake of the HPV vaccine has contributed to substantial decreases in cervical cancer. Who is he? A Virginia-based OB-GYN and medical technology executive, working currently as interim chief medical officer at a startup trying to use artificial intelligence to deliver medicines. His Linkedin also lists him as a board member for LarreaRx, a supplement company. Vaccine experience: Ross does not appear to have any research or work experience related to vaccines readily available. The post RFK Jr. fired everyone on a key vaccine panel. Here's who he replaced them with. appeared first on The 19th. News that represents you, in your inbox every weekday. Subscribe to our free, daily newsletter.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr.'s latest big move could leave you paying more for vaccines
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent shockwaves through the scientific community this week when he fired all 17 members of the federal government's key vaccine advisory board, raising concerns that he might try to replace them with immunization skeptics. Those fears were confirmed for many on Wednesday when Kennedy unveiled eight new members who included some of the most prominent critics of the COVID-19 vaccines. The swap could have wide-reaching public health consequences. But one of the most straightforward impacts may be on consumers' wallets. That's because recommendations by the board — known as the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, or ACIP — determine which vaccines most insurance plans are required to cover at zero cost, such as inoculation against measles or your annual flu shot. If the new members decide to reverse the panel's old guidance, patients could find themselves paying out of pocket for vaccines that were once available for free. 'For the average person who has never heard of ACIP before, this could affect their access to vaccines,' said Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president at the healthcare think tank KFF. Created in 1964, ACIP is the official outside panel of medical experts responsible for advising the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on what to include on its lists of routine shots for both children and adults. While its recommendations aren't binding, federal officials have typically adopted them. As a result, the board's decisions carry enormous weight, affecting patients and parents, as well as the vaccines schools require for students. Over the years, the panel has played a growing role in determining insurance coverage as well. By law, shots recommended by ACIP must be covered by the free Vaccines for Children program, the Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D. The Affordable Care Act also requires private insurers to pay for vaccines with no cost sharing if they have the panel's seal of approval. (Past administrations have said the rule only applies if the CDC also adopts the board's recommendation.) In a Wall Street Journal op-ed this week, Kennedy said his decision to replace the board was meant to fight a 'crisis of public trust' in vaccines by ridding the committee of what he described as 'persistent conflicts of interest.' (Kennedy's critics have argued that his allegations against ACIP's former members are unfounded.) His new picks for the panel include several figures who rose to national fame by casting doubt on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines. Among them is Dr. Robert Malone, an accomplished scientist who did pioneering work on mRNA technology but later attacked its use in shots during the pandemic and who was at one point banned from Twitter for spreading COVID misinformation. He'll be joined by Retsef Levi, an MIT business school professor who gained attention in 2023 for claiming there was 'indisputable evidence' that 'MRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death,' and Dr. Martin Kulldorff, who advocated letting COVID spread among younger Americans to achieve 'herd immunity' and was later let go from Harvard Medical after refusing to be vaccinated. In his announcement, Kennedy said that each new member of ACIP was 'committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations' — suggesting they'll be less likely to add new shots to the government's immunization schedules. But he added that the board will also 'review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well,' raising the possibility that it will scrap some of its old recommendations. Even before this week's shake-up, the government had already begun changing its recommendations on COVID shots. In May, the CDC dropped its recommendation that healthy pregnant women receive the vaccine and revised its guidance for young children, saying they should only receive it after consultation with a doctor. Private insurers could still choose to cover vaccines even if the federal government stops recommending them. Whether they will is less certain. 'That's territory we haven't really had to traverse before,' said KFF's Kates. Sarah Moselle, a vaccine market expert at the health industry consulting firm Avalere, said there may be some 'fragmentation' in how carriers approach the issue. Some may drop coverage entirely or begin requiring co-pays. But many 'do anticipate that they would continue to cover some vaccines,' even if they aren't required to, since it would 'add value' for their customers, she said. In theory, insurers could also have an incentive to maintain vaccine coverage since it could keep their patients healthier and reduce the costs of their care, though it's unclear exactly how those savings would stack up against the added expense of paying for shots. For many vaccines, the out-of-pocket cost might be relatively cheap for patients. But others could turn out to be steep. Take Gardasil, the HPV vaccine that has been the focus of growing safety concerns among patients despite studies suggesting they're unfounded. Some experts told Yahoo Finance they thought the shot could be a target for more scrutiny under Kennedy's new ACIP. Currently, the shot is covered by insurance because it's recommended for pre-teens through young adults. The CDC lists its full price at over $300 a dose. Even modest costs can dissuade patients from getting vaccinated, according to Loren Adler, associate director at the Brookings Institution's Center on Health Policy. 'We know that folks having to pay $10 for a vaccine limits the uptake somewhat,' he said. As a result, just a small increase in what patients have to pay out of pocket could have ripple effects on public health. One issue to keep an eye on, according to Moselle, is whether state governments step in to require more extensive insurance coverage of vaccines if the federal government walks back some of its recommendations. If they do, vaccine access could start to vary more by where patients happen to live. Jordan Weissmann is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance. Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest health industry news and events impacting stock prices
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. announces eight new members of vaccine panel after firing all 17 members
Two days after he fired all 17 members of a committee that advises the federal government on vaccine safety, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. announced eight new members, including a physician criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories. Vaccine experts warned Kennedy's abrupt termination of the entire committee on June 9 would create public distrust around the government's role in promoting public health. The new list of members includes scientists, public-health experts and physicians. "All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense," wrote Kennedy in a post on X on June 11. "They have each committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations." The Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It comprises medical and public health experts who develop recommendations on the use of vaccines in the civilian population of the United States. "The committee will review safety and efficacy data for the current schedule as well," noted Kennedy, who has a history of controversial views on vaccines. Dr. Paul A. Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a member of the Food and Drug Administration Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, previously told USA TODAY that Kennedy was "fixing a problem that doesn't exist," by overhauling the committee. Picking members for the committee generally involves a three- to four-month vetting process by the CDC. Offit said he would "presumably pick people who are like-minded, and I think that will shake confidence in this committee." Kennedy's list of picks includes some widely-respected experts, such as Dr. Cody Meissner, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Tufts Children's Hospital. However, it also includes some prominent figures who have criticized vaccines. One of them, Dr. Robert Malone, is a virologist and vaccine skeptic who became well-known during the COVID-19 pandemic for spreading misinformation about the virus on conservative shows and podcasts. His appearance on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' prompted public uproar against Spotify after Malone promoted false and misleading conspiracy theories about the vaccine, even invoking Nazi Germany. The physician-scientist and biochemist has falsely claimed spike proteins from COVID-19 mRNA vaccines often cause permanent damage to children's vital organs. Kennedy's picks for ACIP also includes Vicky Pebsworth, who has been listed on the board of the National Vaccine Information, a group widely criticized for spreading vaccine misinformation. Retsef Levi, a professor of operations management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, was also picked to serve on the federal advisory committee. In 2023, he posted a video on X criticizing COVID-19 vaccines. The post is pinned to his profile. 'The evidence is mounting and indisputable that MRNA vaccines cause serious harm including death, especially among young people,' he said. 'We have to stop giving them immediately!' Dr. Martin Kulldorff, another one of Kennedy's ACIP picks, wrote a paper published in the Journal of the Academy of Public Health in March that called for a 'COVID Commission' that would investigate the National Institutes of Health's handling of the pandemic. Other appointees include: Dr. Joseph R. Hibbeln, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist with a career in clinical research, public health policy, and federal service; Dr. James Pagano, an emergency medicine physician; Michael A. Ross, a clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RFK Jr. bring on eight members on vaccine panel
