By Ahmed Aboulenein, Michael Erman and Julie Steenhuysen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired all members sitting on a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel of vaccine experts and is reconstituting the committee, his department said on Monday.
Kennedy removed all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement, and is in the process of considering new members to replace them.
The ACIP panel is tasked with recommending which vaccines get placed on the CDC immunization schedule and who should get them, which helps determine insurance coverage.
“Today we are prioritizing the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda,” Kennedy said. “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.”
All 17 sitting ACIP members were appointed under former President Joe Biden’s administration, including 13 in 2024, HHS said. Not removing them would have prevented President Donald Trump‘s administration from choosing a majority of the committee until 2028.
“That’s a tragedy,” former Food and Drug Administration Chief Scientist Jesse Goodman said of the firings. “This is a highly professional group of scientists and physicians and others… It’s the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence.”
Kennedy, who for many years has questioned the safety and efficacy of vaccines, making claims contrary to scientific evidence, said the change was necessary because the committee is rife with conflicts of interest and most members receive funding from drugmakers.
But ACIP members are required to declare any potential or perceived conflicts of interest that arise in the course of ACIP tenure and any relevant business interests, positions of authority or other connections with organizations relevant to the work of the ACIP.
“Our worst fears have been realized,” said one expert with close ties to the committee, adding that the vetting of ACIP members “is very, very rigorous.”
Kennedy and HHS provided no specific evidence of industry conflicts of interest among departing ACIP members. The CDC’s web page for conflicts of interest, last updated in March, showed that one current member had recused herself from votes on a handful of vaccines because she had worked on clinical trials for their manufacturers.
ACIP will convene its next meeting June 25-27 at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, the department said.
The change was first announced in an editorial written by Kennedy for the Wall Street Journal. At least one ACIP member who spoke on the condition of anonymity learned that they were being retired from the committee from the editorial and they believe none of the members had been notified by the CDC.
ACIP members were required to disclose everything as part of the application process, including investments and all sources of income, the member said.
Once the FDA approves vaccines for sale to the public, the ACIP role is to review data in a public meeting and vote on vaccine recommendations, which are then sent to the CDC director to sign off.
The Affordable Care Act generally requires insurers to cover vaccines that are listed on the CDC vaccine schedule.
(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington, Michael Erman in New York, and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Bill Berkrot)
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