NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday named eight new vaccine policy advisers to replace the panel that he abruptly dismissed earlier this week.
They include a scientist who researched mRNA vaccine technology and became a conservative darling for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines, a leading critic of pandemic-era lockdowns, and a professor of operations management.
Another is Dr. Robert Malone, the former mRNA researcher who emerged as a close adviser to Kennedy during the measles outbreak.
ACIP members typically serve in staggered four-year terms, although several appointments were delayed during the Biden administration before positions were filled last year.
A HHS spokesman did not respond to a question about whether there would be only eight ACIP members, or whether more will be named later.
NEW YORK (AP)— U. A. Robert F., Health Secretary. Kennedy Jr. He abruptly dissolved the panel of vaccine policy advisers earlier this week, and on Wednesday, he appointed eight new members to replace them.
They include a professor of operations management, a prominent critic of lockdowns during the pandemic, and a scientist who studied mRNA vaccine technology and rose to prominence as a conservative figure for his criticisms of COVID-19 vaccines.
READ MORE: The CDC clarifies that pregnant women and healthy children should receive COVID vaccinations.
Public health organizations and physician associations strongly opposed Kennedy’s decision to “retire” the previous 17-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, fearing that a group sympathetic to Kennedy’s aim to review and potentially terminate long-standing vaccination recommendations would take its place.
“We’re going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel – not anti-vaxers – bringing people on who are credentialed scientists,” Kennedy stated Tuesday prior to announcing his selections. “.”.
Among the new hires is Vicky Pebsworth, a regional director for the National Association of Catholic Nurses. She has been listed as a volunteer director and board member of the National Vaccine Information Center, which is regarded as a major source of false information about vaccines.
A close advisor to Kennedy during the measles outbreak is Dr. Robert Malone, a former mRNA researcher. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Malone, who owns a wellness center and a well-known blog, gained notoriety by spreading conspiracy theories about the outbreak and the resulting vaccines. On conservative news sites and podcasts, he has advocated for unconventional and unproven cures for COVID-19 and measles.
He has asserted that the COVID-19 vaccine conjures up a type of AIDS and that millions of Americans were duped into getting it. He has minimized the number of fatalities from one of the biggest measles outbreaks in the United States. S. . years.
Dr. Martin Kulldorff, an epidemiologist and biostatistician who co-authored the Great Barrington Declaration, a letter from October 2020 arguing that pandemic shutdowns were causing irreversible harm, is one of the other appointees. Additionally named was Dr. Cody Meissner, a former member of ACIP.
Kennedy revealed the news on Wednesday in a social media post.
Established in 1964, the committee advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s director. Recommendations regarding the use of vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration are nearly always approved by CDC directors. Vaccination programs are guided by the CDC’s final recommendations, which are generally followed by physicians.
These are the other applicants.
Doctor. James Hibbeln, who previously oversaw a nutritional neurosciences group at the National Institutes of Health, investigates the effects of nutrition on the brain, including the possible advantages of eating seafood while pregnant.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology operations management professor Retsef Levi.
Dr. Los Angeles-based emergency medicine specialist James Pagano.
Doctor. A gynecologist and obstetrician from Virginia is Michael Ross.
As a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and a former member of the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory panel as well as ACIP, Meissner is arguably the most experienced vaccine policy expert among the eight individuals Kennedy named.
The committee was frequently asked to examine and vote on the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines, which were quickly created to combat the pandemic, during his five years as an FDA adviser. He voted against the Biden administration’s plan to provide all American adults with an additional dose of the vaccine in September 2021, joining the majority of panels. It was suggested by the panel that the additional vaccination be restricted to elderly individuals and those who are more susceptible to the illness.
In the end, the FDA rejected the panel’s suggestion and approved an additional dose of the vaccine for all adults.
A member of government panels, Meissner has contributed to the creation of vaccination schedules and policy statements for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Although appointments were postponed during the Biden administration until last year, ACIP members normally serve staggered four-year terms. With the exception of one “consumer representative” who can offer insight into the social and community aspects of vaccine programs, all voting members possess scientific or clinical expertise in immunization.
Kennedy, a prominent opponent of vaccinations prior to becoming the U.S. S. . The committee has been accused by the government’s top health official of rubber-stamping vaccines and having too close ties to vaccine manufacturers. Members must disclose any prior partnerships with vaccine companies and abstain from voting in cases where they have a conflict of interest, according to ACIP policies. However, Kennedy has criticized these measures as being insufficient.
According to Yale University health policy researcher Jason Schwartz, the majority of people who have studied vaccines are the ones who know them the best. This typically necessitates some cooperation with the businesses that create and market them.
According to Schwartz, “you’re likely to have a very small pool of folks to draw from if you are to exclude any reputable, respected vaccine expert who has ever engaged even in a limited way with the vaccine industry.”.
The U. A. Kennedy was confirmed by the Senate in February following his pledge to stick to the vaccination schedule. But less than a week later, he promised to look into vaccines for kids that guard against polio, measles, and other serious illnesses.
Kennedy has disregarded some of the recommendations that ACIP voted on in April, such as the expansion of RSV vaccinations and the support of a new combination vaccine that guards against five strains of meningococcal bacteria.
Disregarding the committee, Kennedy declared in late May that the government would alter the recommendation that pregnant women and children receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Kennedy dismissed the ACIP’s 17 members on Monday, stating that he would form a new committee prior to the next meeting in late June. Votes on vaccinations against the flu, COVID-19, HPV, RSV, and meningococcal bacteria are anticipated, according to a recent federal notice, though the agenda for that meeting has not yet been made public.
Regarding whether there would be only eight ACIP members or if more would be announced later, an HHS spokesperson did not answer.
Reporters Devi Shastri, Laura Ungar, Amanda Seitz, and Matthew Perrone of the Associated Press all contributed to this story.
