Latest news with #DrMichaelRoss
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Member of RFK Jr's new vaccine panel withdraws over conflict of interest
A member of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's newly overhauled federal vaccine advisory panel withdrew after a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson has told the Guardian. Dr Michael Ross, who was involved in multiple private healthcare companies, withdrew after review of his financial holdings. Kennedy unilaterally fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) in June, arguing they had too many conflicts of interest. Related: Who are the eight new vaccine advisers appointed by Robert F Kennedy? Ross was among eight of Kennedy's ideological allies appointed to the committee, after the secretary argued the old members of the committee were subject to too many conflicts of interest. 'Yesterday, Dr Michael Ross decided to withdraw from serving on ACIP during the financial holdings review,' a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. 'The sacrifice to serve on ACIP varies from member to member, and we appreciate Dr Ross's willingness to go through this rigorous process.' The spokesperson made the comments after Guardian inquiries about conflict of interest disclosures for new members of ACIP. Although the Trump administration and Kennedy developed a conflict of interest tracker specifically for ACIP members, Kennedy's appointees have not been added. The HHS spokesperson did not respond to Guardian inquiries about when and where new, written conflict of interest disclosures would be published. Instead, the spokesperson said the department has, 'comprehensively reviewed all newly appointed ACIP members for conflicts of interests in accordance with federal law, regulations and departmental polices', and that the members were provided 'ethics training prior to discharging their duties'. The new members of the committee were asked to disclose conflicts of interest before the meeting began on Wednesday. The committee chair Dr Martin Kulldorff and committee member Dr Robert Malone omitted widely reported work in vaccine litigation, and nurse Vicky Pebsworth said she was 'asked to read' a statement disclosed ownership of a healthcare stock but said it was below the government ethics office threshold for reporting. Ethics review of the new members was also the subject of Senate testimony on Wednesday. Under questioning by the Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington, the Trump nominee to head the CDC, Dr Susan Monarez, said she was 'not familiar whether or not the members that are participating in the meeting this week have or have not gone through the ethics review necessary to allow them to participate in those meetings'. 'If it is known that they have not gone through the ethics process and they issue recommendations, would you accept them as valid?' asked Murray. 'If they have not gone through an ethics approval process, they shouldn't be participating in the meetings,' said Monarez.
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Member of RFK Jr's new vaccine panel withdraws over conflict of interest
A member of the health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr's newly overhauled federal vaccine advisory panel withdrew after a conflict of interest review, a spokesperson has told the Guardian. Dr Michael Ross, who was involved in multiple private healthcare companies, withdrew after review of his financial holdings. Kennedy unilaterally fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory committee on immunization practices (ACIP) in June, arguing they had too many conflicts of interest. Ross was among eight of Kennedy's ideological allies appointed to the committee, after the secretary argued the old members of the committee were subject to too many conflicts of interest. 'Yesterday, Dr Michael Ross decided to withdraw from serving on ACIP during the financial holdings review,' a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said. 'The sacrifice to serve on ACIP varies from member to member, and we appreciate Dr Ross's willingness to go through this rigorous process.' The spokesperson made the comments after Guardian inquiries about conflict of interest disclosures for new members of ACIP. Although the Trump administration and Kennedy developed a conflict of interest tracker specifically for ACIP members, Kennedy's appointees have not been added. The HHS spokesperson did not respond to Guardian inquiries about when and where new, written conflict of interest disclosures would be published. Instead, the spokesperson said the department has, 'comprehensively reviewed all newly appointed ACIP members for conflicts of interests in accordance with federal law, regulations and departmental polices', and that the members were provided 'ethics training prior to discharging their duties'. The new members of the committee were asked to disclose conflicts of interest before the meeting began on Wednesday. The committee chair Dr Martin Kulldorff and committee member Dr Robert Malone omitted widely reported work in vaccine litigation, and nurse Vicky Pebsworth said she was 'asked to read' a statement disclosed ownership of a healthcare stock but said it was below the government ethics office threshold for reporting. Ethics review of the new members was also the subject of Senate testimony on Wednesday. Under questioning by the Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington, the Trump nominee to head the CDC, Dr Susan Monarez, said she was 'not familiar whether or not the members that are participating in the meeting this week have or have not gone through the ethics review necessary to allow them to participate in those meetings'. 'If it is known that they have not gone through the ethics process and they issue recommendations, would you accept them as valid?' asked Murray. 'If they have not gone through an ethics approval process, they shouldn't be participating in the meetings,' said Monarez.
Associated Press
25-06-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Kennedy's new vaccine advisers meet for first time
ATLANTA (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s new vaccine advisers began their first meeting Wednesday under intense scrutiny from medical experts worried about Americans' access to lifesaving shots. First on the agenda is an awkward scenario: Kennedy already announced COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women, and his new advisers aren't scheduled to vote on whether they agree. Yet government scientists prepared meeting materials calling vaccination 'the best protection' during pregnancy — and said most children hospitalized for COVID-19 over the past year were unvaccinated. COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 U.S. deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most at risk for hospitalization are seniors and children under 2 — especially infants under 6 months who could have some protection if their mom got vaccinated during pregnancy, according to the CDC's presentation. It's one signal that this week's two-day meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices isn't business as usual. Another sign: Shortly before the meeting, a Virginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist stepped down from the committee, bringing the panel's number to just seven. The Trump administration said Dr. Michael Ross withdrew during a customary review of members' financial holdings. The meeting opened as the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that it will continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children but now will do so independently of the ACIP, calling it 'no longer a credible process.' The panel, created more than 60 years ago, helps the CDC determine who should be vaccinated against a long list of diseases, and when. Those recommendations have a big impact on whether insurance covers vaccinations and where they're available, such as at pharmacies. Earlier this month, Kennedy abruptly dismissed the existing 17-member expert panel and handpicked eight replacements, including several anti-vaccine voices. And a number of the CDC's top vaccine scientists — including some who lead the reporting of data and the vetting of presentations at ACIP meetings — have resigned or been moved out of previous positions. The highly unusual moves prompted a last-minute plea from a prominent Republican senator to delay this week's meeting. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, a physician who chairs the chamber's health committee, said Monday that many of Kennedy's chosen panelists lack the required expertise and 'may even have a preconceived bias' against new vaccine technologies. In a House hearing Tuesday, Kennedy defended his purge, saying the old panel had been 'a template for medical malpractice.' Rep. Kim Schrier, a pediatrician and Democrat from Washington state, told Kennedy: 'I will lay all responsibility for every death from a vaccine-preventable illness at your feet.' Committee will vote on RSV protections The two-day meeting's agenda on was abruptly changed last week. Discussion of COVID-19 shots will open the session on Wednesday. Later in the day, the committee will take up RSV, with votes expected. On Thursday, the committee will vote on fall flu vaccinations and on the use of a preservative in certain flu shots. RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of cold-like symptoms that can be dangerous for infants. In 2023, U.S. health officials began recommending two new measures to protect infants — a lab-made antibody for newborns and a vaccine for pregnant women — that experts say likely drove an improvement in infant mortality. The committee will discuss another company's newly approved antibody shot, but the exact language for the vote was not released prior to the meeting. 'I think there may be a theme of soft-pedaling or withdrawing recommendations for healthy pregnant women and healthy children,' even though they are at risk from vaccine-preventable diseases, said Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert at Georgetown University who co-authored a recent medical journal commentary criticizing the COVID-19 vaccination decision. Flu shot recommendations to be debated At its June meetings, the committee usually refreshes guidance for Americans 6 month and older to get a flu shot, and helps greenlight the annual fall vaccination campaign. But given the recent changes to the committee and federal public health leadership, it's unclear how routine topics will be treated, said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University health policy researcher who has studied the committee. Thursday also promises controversy. The advisory panel is set to consider a preservative in a subset of flu shots that Kennedy and some antivaccine groups have falsely contended is tied to autism. In preparation, the CDC posted a new report confirming that research shows no link between the preservative, thimerosal, and autism or any other neurodevelopmental disorders. Gostin said the agenda appears to be 'a combination of what we would normally expect ACIP to cover along with a mixture of potential conspiracy theories,' he said. 'We clearly are in a new normal that's highly skeptical of vaccine science.' The committee's recommendations traditionally go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. Historically, nearly all are accepted and then used by insurance companies in deciding what vaccines to cover. But the CDC currently has no director, so the committee's recommendations have been going to Kennedy, and he has yet to act on a couple recommendations ACIP made in April. The CDC director nominee, Susan Monarez, is slated to go before a Senate committee on Wednesday. ___ Neergaard reported from Washington. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Washington Post
25-06-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
Vaccine panel appointed by RFK Jr. loses member before first meeting
ATLANTA — The influential federal vaccine panel appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. two weeks ago lost one of its members hours before it was set to meet for the first time Wednesday. 'Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from [the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices] during the financial holdings review required of members before they can start work on the committee,' said Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for Kennedy's health department. 'The sacrifice to serve on ACIP varies from member to member, and we appreciate Dr. Ross's willingness to go through this rigorous process. We would have benefited from his service and expertise on this committee. The meeting will go as planned and there will be a quorum.'
Reuters
25-06-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Kennedy's key vaccine panel down to 7 members ahead of first meeting, NYT reports
June 24 (Reuters) - A key panel of vaccine advisers named by U.S. Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. earlier this month is now down to seven members from the earlier announced strength of eight after one of the members opted out ahead of the committee's first meeting, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. "Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from A.C.I.P. during the financial holdings review required of members before they can start work on the committee," Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, told the newspaper. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
