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Yahoo
a day ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Kennedy's vaccine panel votes to remove preservative long targeted by activists
ATLANTA — A panel of vaccine advisers selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted Thursday to recommend that no one get a flu vaccine that contains thimerosal — a preservative that has long been a target of the anti-vaccine movement and Kennedy himself. Five members voted to recommend that no children, pregnant women, or adults get any flu vaccine with thimerosal. If the CDC adopts the recommendation, it will mark one of the first major changes in federal vaccine guidance and access as Kennedy embarks on his goal of remaking immunization policy in his image. 'The risk from influenza is so much greater than the nonexistent, as far as we know, risk from thimerosal,' said Dr. Cody Meissner, the only panel member who voted no. 'I would hate for a person not to receive the influenza vaccine because the only available preparation is with thimerosal." The CDC director usually needs to endorse the recommendations before they are official. But Kennedy will likely be the one to endorse these recommendations because there is currently no CDC director or acting director. The decision came after a presentation from Lyn Redwood, a former president of the Kennedy-founded anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, who identified herself as a 'private citizen.' The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Kennedy had hired Redwood to work in the CDC's vaccine safety office. The HHS directory lists Redwood as an 'expert' in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Department spokespeople and Redwood didn't respond to requests for comment on Redwood's role. Redwood's presentation largely argued that thimerosal, a preservative that has been used in vaccines since the 1930s, should be removed from the products because of safety concerns. The CDC website says that there is 'no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site.' A CDC background document for members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, posted by the agency on Tuesday and later removed from its website, also diverges from Redwood's conclusion, arguing there is overwhelming evidence that thimerosal-containing vaccines do not cause neurological problems. ACIP member Dr. Robert Malone said the document was removed because 'it was not authorized by the office of the secretary.' Redwood's presentation argued there is evidence that thimerosal can cause serious complications, especially for pregnant women. 'The fact that thimerosal from vaccines has been documented to raise blood mercury levels over known thresholds where developmental effects have been documented to occur during the first few months of life, means that particular 'windows of vulnerability' may have been breached,' Redwood said. Thimerosal continues to be used as a preservative in multi-dose vaccine vials to inhibit germ growth, but the vast majority of FDA-licensed flu vaccines are already thimerosal-free — 96 percent of all flu vaccines in the U.S. last season didn't contain the preservative, according to the CDC document removed from the website. It was largely removed from childhood vaccines in 2001, and several pediatric products — including the measles, mumps and rubella and varicella shots — never included the ingredient. In 1999, the FDA and CDC announced plans to work with manufacturers to reduce or remove thimerosal from vaccines. But the move was a precautionary measure, and further research has identified no link between the ingredient and neurological defects. Several ACIP members agreed with Redwood, including committee Chair Martin Kulldorff, who argued that while the level of thimerosal in vaccines may be safe, it could contribute to high cumulative mercury exposure. But Meissner, a pediatrics professor at Dartmouth College's medical school, pushed back strongly against Redwood's assertion. 'I'm not quite sure how to respond to this presentation,' Meissner said. He went on to note that thimerosal is metabolized into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate, not methylmercury, which is found in fish and shellfish and is highly toxic to humans. 'Ethylmercury is excreted much more quickly from the body, and is not associated with the high neurotoxicity that methylmercury has,' Meissner noted. 'Of all the issues that I think ACIP needs to focus on, this is not a big issue,' he added. Many public health experts on the call also pushed back. Jason Goldman of the American College of Physicians asked whether the committee would get an 'actual CDC presentation done by staff, scientists, physicians and those who are subject matter experts with accurate, peer-reviewed scientific data or the ability for the committee to review [the data]' or if they would just hear 'layperson presentations.' Separately, the panel also recommended the updated influenza vaccine for the upcoming fall and winter season. Six members voted to approve, while Vicky Pebsworth, a public health scientist and nurse who's served on the board of an anti-vaccine group, abstained. Members of the press were not allowed to leave the press area, largely preventing them from speaking with the members of the committee. Kulldorff declined to answer questions following the meeting. 'This committee strongly supports the use of vaccines and other counter measures predicated on evidence-based medicine, including rigorous evaluation and expansive credible scientific data for both safety and efficacy,' the committee said in a statement after the meeting concluded. 'All stakeholders, including healthcare providers, parents, children, schools, nursing homes, insurance providers, public health agencies, manufacturers and the rare few who may be harmed by recommended interventions need to have understandable, digestible, scientifically correct information.' The CDC's vaccine advisory committee may consider at its next meeting a proposal to advise against giving a combination shot against measles and chickenpox to children under 4, Kulldorff said Thursday after delivering a presentation on the product. Under the current childhood immunization schedule, the CDC recommends that children receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the varicella vaccine — the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years of age. An MMR-chickenpox combination vaccine, known as MMRV, may be used, but the agency advises that the first dose be administered as two separate shots. ACIP updated its recommendation in 2009 to recommend separate MMR and varicella vaccinations for younger children due to an increased risk of febrile seizures in children under 2 who received the combination shot compared with those who got the two distinct vaccines. Fever-induced seizures are common in young children — the CDC estimates the risk at 5 percent — but don't cause permanent harm. 'A proposed recommendation — we're not going to vote on that this time, but possibly at the next meeting — could be that, as there exists a safer, equally effective alternative, the MMRV vaccine should not be administered to children under the age of 47 months,' Kulldorff said.
Politico
2 days ago
- Health
- Politico
Kennedy's vaccine panel votes to remove preservative long targeted by activists
ATLANTA — A panel of vaccine advisers selected by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted Thursday to recommend that no one get a flu vaccine that contains thimerosal — a preservative that has long been a target of the anti-vaccine movement and Kennedy himself. Five members voted to recommend that no children, pregnant women, or adult get any flu vaccine with thimerosal. If the CDC adopts the recommendation, it will mark one of the first major changes in federal vaccine guidance and access as Kennedy embarks on his goal of remaking immunization policy in his image. 'The risk from influenza is so much greater than the non-existent, as far as we know, risk from thimerosal,' said Dr. Cody Meissner, the only panel member who voted no. 'I would hate for a person not to receive the influenza vaccine because the only available preparation is with thimerosal.' The CDC director usually needs to endorse the recommendations before they are official. But Kennedy will likely be the one to endorse these recommendations because there is currently no CDC director or acting director. The decision came after a presentation from Lyn Redwood, a former president of the Kennedy-founded anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, who identified herself as a 'private citizen.' The Washington Post reported Wednesday that Kennedy had hired Redwood to work in the CDC's vaccine safety office. The HHS directory lists Redwood as an 'expert' in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. Department spokespeople and Redwood didn't respond to requests for comment on Redwood's role. Redwood's presentation largely argued that thimerosal, a preservative that has been used in vaccines since the 1930s, should be removed from the products because of safety concerns. The CDC website says that there is 'no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site.' A CDC background document for members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, posted by the agency on Tuesday and later removed from its website, also diverges from Redwood's conclusion, arguing there is overwhelming evidence that thimerosal-containing vaccines do not cause neurological problems. ACIP member Dr. Robert Malone said the document was removed because 'it was not authorized by the office of the secretary.' Redwood's presentation argued there is evidence that thimerosal can cause serious complications, especially for pregnant women. 'The fact that thimerosal from vaccines has been documented to raise blood mercury levels over known thresholds where developmental effects have been documented to occur during the first few months of life, means that particular 'windows of vulnerability' may have been breached,' Redwood said. Thimerosal continues to be used as a preservative in multi-dose vaccine vials to inhibit germ growth, but the vast majority of FDA-licensed flu vaccines are already thimerosal-free — 96 percent of all flu vaccines in the U.S. last season didn't contain the preservative, according to the CDC document removed from the website. It was largely removed from childhood vaccines in 2001, and several pediatric products — including the measles, mumps and rubella and varicella shots — never included the ingredient. In 1999, the FDA and CDC announced plans to work with manufacturers to reduce or remove thimerosal from vaccines as a precautionary measure. But the move was a precautionary measure, and further research has identified no link between the ingredient and neurological defects. Several ACIP members agreed with Redwood, including committee Chair Martin Kulldorff, who argued that while the level of thimerosal in vaccines may be safe, it could contribute to high cumulative mercury exposure. But Meissner, a pediatrics professor at Dartmouth College's medical school, pushed back strongly against Redwood's assertion. 'I'm not quite sure how to respond to this presentation,' Meissner said. He went on to note that thimerosal is metabolized into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate, not methylmercury, which is found in fish and shellfish and is highly toxic to humans. 'Ethylmercury is excreted much more quickly from the body, and is not associated with the high neurotoxicity that methylmercury has,' Meissner noted. 'Of all the issues that I think ACIP needs to focus on, this is not a big issue,' he added. Many public health experts on the call also pushed back. Jason Goldman of the American College of Physicians asked whether the committee would get an 'actual CDC presentation done by staff, scientists, physicians and those who are subject matter experts with accurate, peer-reviewed scientific data or the ability for the committee to review [the data]' or if they would just hear 'layperson presentations.' Separately, the panel also recommended the updated influenza vaccine for the upcoming fall and winter season. Six members voted to approve, while Vicky Pebsworth, a public health scientist and nurse who's served on the board of an anti-vaccine group, abstained. Members of the press were not allowed to leave the press area, largely preventing them from speaking with the members of the committee. Kulldorff declined to answer questions following the meeting. 'This committee strongly supports the use of vaccines and other counter measures predicated on evidence-based medicine, including rigorous evaluation and expansive credible scientific data for both safety and efficacy,' the committee said in a statement after the meeting concluded. 'All stakeholders, including healthcare providers, parents, children, schools, nursing homes, insurance providers, public health agencies, manufacturers and the rare few who may be harmed by recommended interventions need to have understandable, digestible, scientifically correct information.' The CDC's vaccine advisory committee may consider at its next meeting a proposal to advise against giving a combination shot against measles and chickenpox to children under 4, Kulldorff said Thursday after delivering a presentation on the product. Under the current childhood immunization schedule, the CDC recommends that children receive two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the varicella vaccine — the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years of age. An MMR-chickenpox combination vaccine, known as MMRV, may be used, but the agency advises that the first dose be administered as two separate shots. ACIP updated its recommendation in 2009 to recommend separate MMR and varicella vaccinations for younger children due to an increased risk of febrile seizures in children under 2 who received the combination shot compared with those who got the two distinct vaccines. Fever-induced seizures are common in young children — the CDC estimates the risk at 5 percent — but don't cause permanent harm. 'A proposed recommendation — we're not going to vote on that this time, but possibly at the next meeting — could be that, as there exists a safer, equally effective alternative, the MMRV vaccine should not be administered to children under the age of 47 months,' Kulldorff said.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
US CDC vaccine panel cites nonexistent study in Thimerosal review, sparks controversy
A general view of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. Photo|:REUTERS/ Listen to article A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines slated to be presented on Thursday to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outside vaccine committee cites a study that does not exist, the scientist listed as the study's author said. The report, called "Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative" published on the CDC website on Tuesday, is to be presented by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. It makes reference to a study called "Low-level neonatal thimerosal exposure: Long-term consequences in the brain," published in the journal Neurotoxicology in 2008, and co-authored by UC Davis Professor Emeritus Robert Berman. But according to Berman, "it's not making reference to a study I published or carried out." Berman said he co-authored a similarly named study in a different journal - Toxicological Sciences - that came to different conclusions than those suggested by Redwood. "We did not examine the effects of thimerosal in microglia... I do not endorse this misrepresentation of the research," he said. Reuters is the first to report on the inaccurate citation from Redwood's planned presentation. Later on Tuesday, the CDC uploaded a new version of Redwood's presentation, removing the slide that cited the Berman study. The meeting has become increasingly controversial after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just weeks ago abruptly fired all previous 17 members of the expert panel and named eight new members, half of whom have advocated against vaccines. The CDC ACIP Slides have been removed from the CDC website. Will they reappear for public review before the meeting? Or is HHS "radical transparency" = hiding data and presentations from the public and presenting false data to ACIP? — Dr. David B (@boulware_dr) June 25, 2025 Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine activist, founded the Children's Health Defense. Both Republican US Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic US Senator Patty Murray of Washington said the June 25 and 26 meeting should be postponed. The summary of the presentation suggested that there are enough thimerosal-free flu vaccines and that all pregnant women, infants and children should receive only those shots. Those aren't CDC slides. They are the slides for the presentation by Lyn Redwood, former president of Children's Health — Helen Branswell 🇨🇦 (@HelenBranswell) June 25, 2025 It was not clear if the new advisory panel would be asked to vote on such a move. Redwood's presentation was in contrast to a separate report posted by CDC staff on the CDC website on Tuesday that says evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Kennedy has long pushed a link between vaccines and autism contrary to scientific evidence. Redwood could not be immediately reached for comment. An HHS spokesman said the study being referenced was the Toxicological Sciences study Berman said was being misrepresented. The CDC's briefing material reviewed some studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes and vaccines that contain thimerosal, which has long been used in the US in multi-dose vials of medicines and vaccines to prevent germs from growing in them. According to the CDC report, 96% of all influenza vaccines in the US were thimerosal free during the 2024-25 flu season. It also added that the number of pregnant women receiving a thimerosal-containing flu vaccine has decreased over time, with only 0.3% of doses given in 2024 containing thimerosal. Kennedy wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes brain damage. On Monday, Cassidy, who heads the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called for the meeting to be delayed, saying it should not take place with a relatively small panel and without a CDC director in place. Murray, a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, has also called for the fired panel members to be reinstated or the meeting be delayed until new members are appropriately vetted. Earlier, a newly appointed panel of vaccine advisers by US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is now down to seven after a member withdrew ahead of the committee's first meeting, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Tuesday. Earlier in June, Kennedy had named eight members to serve on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC)Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), including several who have advocated against vaccines, after abruptly firing all 17 members of the independent committee of experts. "Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from ACIP during the financial holdings review required of members before they can start work on the committee," HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said in a statement, adding the committee would have benefited from his service and expertise. The New York Times first reported the news on Ross' departure. A list of voting members for the panel on the CDC's website didn't feature Ross' name as of Tuesday night. The panel, which advises the US CDC on who should get the shots after they are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is due to meet on June 25 and 26. It will vote on the safety of flu shots and discuss proposed recommendations for use of the combined MMRV vaccine for children under 5 years of age, according to a draft agenda on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's website last week. A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines will also be presented by Lyn Redwood on Thursday during the meeting, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
US CDC vaccine presentation cites study that does not exist, author says
A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines slated to be presented on Thursday to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outside vaccine committee cites a study that does not exist, the scientist listed as the study's author said. The report, called "Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative" published on the CDC website on Tuesday, is to be presented by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. It makes reference to a study called "Low-level neonatal thimerosal exposure: Long-term consequences in the brain," published in the journal Neurotoxicology in 2008, and co-authored by UC Davis Professor Emeritus Robert Berman. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Madrid: Se buscan: 500 personas mayores de 50 años (Haz clic aquí) Experto en Audicion Undo But according to Berman, "it's not making reference to a study I published or carried out." Berman said he co-authored a similarly named study in a different journal - Toxicological Sciences - that came to different conclusions than those suggested by Redwood. Live Events "We did not examine the effects of thimerosal in microglia... I do not endorse this misrepresentation of the research," he said. Reuters is the first to report on the inaccurate citation from Redwood's planned presentation. Later on Tuesday, the CDC uploaded a new version of Redwood's presentation, removing the slide that cited the Berman study. The meeting has become increasingly controversial after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just weeks ago abruptly fired all previous 17 members of the expert panel and named eight new members, half of whom have advocated against vaccines. Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine activist, founded the Children's Health Defense. Both Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington said the June 25 and 26 meeting should be postponed. The summary of the presentation suggested that there are enough thimerosal-free flu vaccines and that all pregnant women, infants and children should receive only those shots. It was not clear if the new advisory panel would be asked to vote on such a move. Redwood's presentation was in contrast to a separate report posted by CDC staff on the CDC website on Tuesday that says evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Kennedy has long pushed a link between vaccines and autism contrary to scientific evidence. Redwood could not be immediately reached for comment. An HHS spokesman said the study being referenced was the Toxicological Sciences study Berman said was being misrepresented. The CDC's briefing material reviewed some studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes and vaccines that contain thimerosal, which has long been used in the U.S. in multi-dose vials of medicines and vaccines to prevent germs from growing in them. According to the CDC report, 96% of all influenza vaccines in the U.S. were thimerosal free during the 2024-25 flu season. It also added that the number of pregnant women receiving a thimerosal-containing flu vaccine has decreased over time, with only 0.3% of doses given in 2024 containing thimerosal. Kennedy wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes brain damage. On Monday, Cassidy, who heads the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called for the meeting to be delayed, saying it should not take place with a relatively small panel and without a CDC director in place. Murray, a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, has also called for the fired panel members to be reinstated or the meeting be delayed until new members are appropriately vetted.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Exclusive-US CDC vaccine presentation cites study that does not exist, author says
By Michael Erman (Reuters) -A review on the use of the preservative thimerosal in vaccines slated to be presented on Thursday to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's outside vaccine committee cites a study that does not exist, the scientist listed as the study's author said. The report, called "Thimerosal as a Vaccine Preservative" published on the CDC website on Tuesday, is to be presented by Lyn Redwood, a former leader of the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense. It makes reference to a study called "Low-level neonatal thimerosal exposure: Long-term consequences in the brain," published in the journal Neurotoxicology in 2008, and co-authored by UC Davis Professor Emeritus Robert Berman. But according to Berman, "it's not making reference to a study I published or carried out." Berman said he co-authored a similarly named study in a different journal - Toxicological Sciences - that came to different conclusions than those suggested by Redwood. "We did not examine the effects of thimerosal in microglia... I do not endorse this misrepresentation of the research," he said. Reuters is the first to report on the inaccurate citation from Redwood's planned presentation. The meeting has become increasingly controversial after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. just weeks ago abruptly fired all previous 17 members of the expert panel and named eight new members, half of whom have advocated against vaccines. Kennedy, a long-time anti-vaccine activist, founded the Children's Health Defense. Both Republican U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington said the June 25 and 26 meeting should be postponed. The summary of the presentation suggested that there are enough thimerosal-free flu vaccines and that all pregnant women, infants and children should receive only those shots. It was not clear if the new advisory panel would be asked to vote on such a move. Redwood's presentation was in contrast to a separate report posted by CDC staff on the CDC website on Tuesday that says evidence does not support a link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Kennedy has long pushed a link between vaccines and autism contrary to scientific evidence. Redwood could not be immediately reached for comment. An HHS spokesman said the study being referenced was the Toxicological Sciences study Berman said was being misrepresented. The CDC's briefing material reviewed some studies on neurodevelopmental outcomes and vaccines that contain thimerosal, which has long been used in the U.S. in multi-dose vials of medicines and vaccines to prevent germs from growing in them. According to the CDC report, 96% of all influenza vaccines in the U.S. were thimerosal free during the 2024-25 flu season. It also added that the number of pregnant women receiving a thimerosal-containing flu vaccine has decreased over time, with only 0.3% of doses given in 2024 containing thimerosal. Kennedy wrote a book in 2014 claiming that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, causes brain damage. On Monday, Cassidy, who heads the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called for the meeting to be delayed, saying it should not take place with a relatively small panel and without a CDC director in place. Murray, a senior member and former chair of the HELP Committee, has also called for the fired panel members to be reinstated or the meeting be delayed until new members are appropriately vetted.
