RFK Jr. named new vaccine consultant after firing previous advisory committee

U.S. Secretary of Health Robert Kennedy Jr.

They will sit on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eight are the minimum numbers allowed by law.

Four of the new members have previously worked on committees with the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, or both.

Kennedy named Joseph R.

Meissner and Pebsworth participated in the FDA's Advisory Committee on Vaccine and Related Biological Products, and Meissner previously served on ACIP.

Kulldorff is the architect of the Great Barrington Declaration, which calls for a lighter public health response to Covid-19 in October 2020, after serving in the ACIP vaccine safety subgroup.

“All of these people are dedicated to evidence-based medicine, the science and common sense of gold standards,” Kennedy said in an article on X.

Kennedy said the new members are committed to requesting determined safety and effectiveness data before any new vaccine recommendations are made.

Kennedy has long questioned the safety of vaccines that are contrary to scientific evidence, claiming that previous panelists, many of whom were appointed by Joe Biden, had no conflict of interest, and did not provide evidence of conflicts of specific members. He said the move was a necessary condition for “rebuilding public confidence in vaccine science.” ”

Committee members said their ACIP work is after a strict review of their financial links and they must vote on any vaccines in any conflict.

Many physician groups expressed concern and doubt about all Kennedy’s unprecedented group members.

The American Medical Association, the largest physician organization in the United States, called for a Senate investigation into their firing and sent a letter to Kennedy asking for the immediate reversal of the changes.