An advisory committee on vaccines, recently formed under U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s jurisdiction, had a modest outset in its inaugural meeting. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) comprises seven members who gathered for the first time on the 25th and 26th of June at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sitting in Atlanta, Georgia.
In this initial meeting, the think tank deliberated upon the technology of mRNA vaccines, endorsed Merck’s freshly crafted anti-RSV monoclonal antibody via a vote, and came to a consensus for the extraction of thimerosal from flu vaccines. The committee, after careful discussions, left the meeting with a unified message expressing their commitment to impartial scientific thought.
The group recognized their role within the government stating, ‘Our decrees are merely recommendations. However, we are aware that some might interpret these as authoritative rulings, reflecting the gravity of our role.’ The pediatric community, represented by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), chose to diverge from the norm by abstaining from attending the meeting and announced plans to publish its distinct vaccine guidelines.
In a swift move on June 9, Kennedy made the decision to dissolve the previous group of 17 panelists chosen by the Biden administration and elected eight replacements. However, one candidate, Michael Ross, retracted his nomination, leaving the panel with the current seven representatives. Given the substantial changes to the structure of the ACIP, Kennedy has so far been quite reserved in his actions concerning vaccines.
On May 27, Kennedy made a public declaration stating the government would cease recommending COVID-19 vaccines to healthy children and expectant mothers. Reinforcing his decision to overhaul the ACIP, Kennedy, in a press release on June 9, said that a comprehensive revamp of the committee was long overdue.
Kennedy cast a critical eye on ACIP members’ ability to sever ties with pharmaceutical companies, thereby alleging the committee’s function had evolved into an endorsement entity for profit-oriented strategies of the industry. Established in 1964, the ACIP was chartered to offer expert advice to both the CDC and HHS Secretary. Over time, the committee had survived with minimal public scrutiny.
This was despite findings in 2000 by the House of Representatives that committee members paid scant attention to conflict-of-interest regulations and often acted in a way that could benefit them financially when determining the safety of medical products. These findings were corroborated almost a decade later in a report from the HHS inspector-general.
Kennedy made it a point to select individuals for the new panel who were well versed in the workings of the pharmaceutical world, including the political connections within this sphere, and who have been known to critique the federal vaccine policy. Martin Kulldorf, who serves as the chair of the committee, was a co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration – a document critical of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
One of the earliest patenteers of mRNA technology, Robert Malone, too found a place on the panel along with Retsef Levi, a prominent researcher based in MIT. The team was rounded out by other members, including Cody Meissner, a pediatrics professor at Tufts University, Vicky Pebsworth, Abram Wagner, and James Pagano.
Commenting on the new appointments, Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute said, ‘Among their ranks, you can find evidence-based, quality people. Meissner and Kulldorf, for example, are serious individuals who have faced criticism because they refused to simply echo the company’s stance on the COVID pandemic and its vaccine.’ Singer also acknowledged that the committee includes members who have historically shown skepticism towards vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry, and said it remains to be seen how they perform.
The newly constituted ACIP found support from the American College of Pediatricians (ACIP). The executive director of ACP, Jill Simons, M.S., expressed the hope that a fresh perspective would shine new light on vaccine safety and effectiveness, a longstanding pillar of preventative healthcare.
Simons stressed on the need for future vaccine recommendations to be grounded in robust, science-driven research, ruling out the option of reliance on anecdotal evidences alone. She expressed their expectation for transparency and honesty in all committee actions, enabling parents to make truly informed decisions regarding the vaccination of their children.
The appointment of the new ACIP panel comes at a time when trust in public health decisions has eroded considerably. This sentiment, according to Kennedy, has also led to a decline in the global reputation of U.S. health regulators.
Kennedy emphasized the need for drastic transparency and rigorous scientific research in his press releases, stating, ‘Only by holding ourselves to these stringent standards can we hope to regain the trust we have lost’—indicating a noble pledge to restore public trust in the perception of American health regulators.
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