RFK Jr. Removes All Members of CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices
The move follows the announcement of updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, which was announced on X.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Monday that the 17 current members of the CDC's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) will be retired and replaced. In an opinion piece written for the Wall Street Journal, Kennedy wrote, “Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028.”1
This declaration follows the unprecedented announcement of the updated COVID-19 vaccination schedule, which was announced via X. | Image Credit: Trsakaoe - stock.adobe.com
In the opinion piece, Kennedy cited concerns about conflicts of interest for the current ACIP members, stating that the committee has never recommended against a vaccine, “even those later withdrawn for safety reasons.”1
The decision follows the announcement of updated COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, which were announced via X by Kennedy, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, and National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD. Both announcements have been met with criticism from health care professionals and organizations.2
"Prior to these changes announced over the past couple of weeks, we've had a fairly good system complete with checks and balances for vaccine recommendations in the United States," said Lauren Angelo, PharmD, MBA, associate dean of academic affairs at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.3 "Recommendations have been evidence-based with a great deal of focus on safety and cost-effectiveness. The recent COVID-19 vaccine recommendations made by a few appointed individuals were a complete deviation from the science-based approach. I am concerned that a potentially unsafe and irresponsible precedent may have been set."
The American College of Physicians released a statement echoing these concerns, saying the organization is “highly concerned” about the announcement from Kennedy. They stated they are concerned about the process as it interferes with the practice of evidence-based medicine and decision-making.4
“This announcement, coupled with the recent, preemptive actions HHS took on the COVID-19 vaccines that circumvented the standard, transparent vaccine review process, interferes with the practice of evidence-based medicine and destabilizes a trusted source and its evidence-based process for helping guide decision-making for vaccines to protect the public health in our country,” the organization wrote.4 “Today’s announcement will seriously erode public confidence in our government’s ability to ensure the health of the American public, and it will endanger the safety, welfare, and lives of our patients. We call on the administration to immediately reverse course.”
Further, in a statement from the American Pharmacists Association, the organization stated they withhold their endorsement of the adult immunization schedule, which removed recommendations for pregnant women to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.5
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
READ MORE: Immunization Resource Center
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