US Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr has named several vaccine critics among eight people to serve on a key panel of vaccine advisers, after abruptly firing all 17 members of the independent committee of experts.
His decision this week to remove every member the committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to use vaccines was his most far-reaching attempt to reshape US regulation of vaccines, food and medicine.
Speaking just before he confirmed the new appointments, Mr Kennedy Jr, who himself is known as an anti-vaxxer, said the move would "re-establish public confidence in vaccine science".
"We're going to bring great people onto the ACIP panel — not anti-vaxxers — bringing people on who are credentialed scientists."
The group of eight newly appointed members includes four who have previously worked on committees associated with either the CDC, the Food and Drug Administration, or both.
Others have published papers, posted on social media, or written online biographies with anti-vaccine views, including against the vaccine technology used in some of the newest immunisations, such as the COVID-19 vaccine.
They will all sit on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP), which advises the agency on who should get the shots after they are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Eight is the minimum number allowed by the ACIP founding charter, however, the eight people appointed have raised questions from the US scientific community.
Who is joining the committee?
It remains unclear how new members of the panel have been vetted for conflicts of interest, or when the vetting process began.
Mr Kennedy Jr said, "all of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense".
The eight new members are Robert Malone, Joseph Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth and Michael Ross.
Dr Robert Malone
Dr Malone is one of the most prominent voices opposing mRNA vaccines and is aligned with Mr Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again movement.
He was with Mr Kennedy Jr and Donald Trump celebrating the election night.
Previously, he has claimed that millions of Americans were hypnotised into taking COVID-19 vaccines and he has also downplayed deaths related to the recent outbreak of measles in the US.
Three weeks ago, he wrote, "it was my impression that the risk/benefit ratio of these products did not merit continued use in any cohort" in relation to the mRNA COVID vaccines.
Dr James Hibbeln
Dr Hibbeln has previously headed up the National Institutes of Health group focused on nutritional neurosciences, with a focus on how nutrition has an impact on the brain.
Mr Kennedy Jr said Dr Hibbeln brings "expertise in immune-related outcomes, psychiatric conditions, and evidence-based public health strategies".
The doctor retired from the National Institutes of Health in 2020
Dr Martin Kulldorff
Dr Kulldorff is known for his contributions to the Great Barrington Declaration, a document that called for a lighter public health response to COVID-19 in October 2020.
He is an epidemiologist and has prior vaccine adviser experience, having worked with the CDC.
"He has also been an influential voice in public health policy, advocating for evidence-based approaches to pandemic response," Mr Kennedy Jr said of Dr Kulldorff.
Retsef Levi
Retsef Levi is a professor of operations management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He has in the past said mRNA vaccines can cause serious harm and death, especially among children, and called for their immediate withdrawal.
Mr Kennedy Jr said Professor Levi has "collaborated with public health agencies to evaluate vaccine safety".
During COVID, Professor Levi recommended that young men not get mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which experts criticised.
Dr Cody Meissner
Dr Meissner is perhaps the most experienced in vaccine policy and he is an expert in paediatric infectious diseases.
He previously served as a member of the Food and Drug Administration's own vaccines panel.
However, he has also previously opposed COVID-19 vaccine requirements for children.
He co-wrote an opinion piece speaking out against masking of children during the pandemic.
Dr James Pagano
Dr Pagano is a board-certified emergency medicine physician with over 40 years of clinical experience in the US.
He is described by Mr Kennedy Jr as a "strong advocate for evidence-based medicine" and he has experience serving on medical executive boards.
The Medical Board of California currently lists Dr Pagano as being retired.
Vicky Pebsworth
Ms Pebsworth has previously been listed as a board member for the National Vaccine Information Center, which many in the US say is a leading source of vaccine misinformation.
She has also served on the FDA's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, alongside Dr Cody Meissner, who has also previously served on ACIP.
Mr Kennedy Jr said Ms Pebsworth has served in various capacities in the past, "including critical care nurse, healthcare administrator, health policy analyst, and research scientist with a focus on public health policy, bioethics, and vaccine safety".
Dr Michael Ross
Dr Ross is a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University, according to Mr Kennedy Jr.
However, neither university lists the doctor on their directories.
Dr Ross has "contributed to national strategies for cancer prevention and early detection, including those involving HPV immunisation," Mr Kennedy Jr said.
Clean sweep was 'necessary', says Kennedy Jr
In his announcement on Monday to gut the existing committee, Mr Kennedy Jr said, "this clean sweep was necessary".
Although it was typically not viewed as a partisan board, the entire current roster of committee members were Biden appointees.
Mr Kennedy Jr said the ACIP committee was rife with corruption and conflicts.
"Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028," he said.
"Today we are prioritising the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda."
Scientists and experts said the changes to the vaccine panel would undermine public confidence in health agencies.
"That's a tragedy," former FDA chief scientist Jesse Goodman said.
"It's the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence."
One ousted panel member, Noel Brewer, said he and other members received an email that said their services on the committee had been terminated, without being given a reason.
"I'd assumed I'd continue serving on the committee for my full term," he said.
"It's unclear what the future holds. Certainly, provider organisations have already started to turn away from ACIP."
ABC/wires
