Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s newly reconstituted vaccine advisory panel is facing criticism from medical experts and former federal officials after its first meeting strayed sharply from established scientific review norms.
What Happened: On Wednesday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices reconvened under controversy, just weeks after Kennedy dismissed all 17 previous members of the committee and replaced them with his appointees, according to Reuters.
Criticism has since intensified after the panel’s agenda was abruptly changed only one day before the meeting, while adding a presentation on thimerosal, a vaccine preservative whose alleged risks have been repeatedly debunked by mainstream science.
The presentation was delivered by Lyn Redwood, former leader of Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine organization originally founded by Kennedy himself.
The reconstituted panel is already seeing a fallout, with Dr. Michael Ross, one of the newly appointed members, resigning unexpectedly before the first meeting was held. Two other Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff members also left amid the chaos.
At least half of Kennedy’s appointees have publicly questioned vaccine safety in the past, leading organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, a non-voting participant of these meetings, to skip, citing a lack of scientific credibility and procedural transparency. The organization plans to publish its evidence-based childhood vaccine schedules instead.
The panel’s chair, Dr. Martin Kulldorff, stated that the committee would review individual vaccines, as well as the cumulative effects and scheduling of childhood immunizations.
The committee also postponed a key vote on an RSV vaccine intended for children, further heightening uncertainty around upcoming vaccine recommendations.
Why It Matters: The overhaul of the CDC's vaccine schedules stands to have a significant impact on pharma companies, especially those with exposure to childhood vaccines.
For instance, Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc., with their Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccines, stand to see some headwinds due to the committee postponing its vote on the vaccine.
Similarly, Merck & Co. Inc., having reported $540 million in revenue during its first quarter results from its measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine series, could see a material impact as a result of the vaccine advisory committee’s stance.
| Company | Potential Impact | YTD Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Merck & Co Inc. (NYSE:MRK) | Outsized exposure to childhood vaccination schedules, with its MMR series. | -19.66% |
| Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) | Delays in the approval of its RSV vaccines | -8.83% |
| Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) | RSV vaccine delays, along with the dropped COVID-19 vaccine mandate for pregnant women. | -36.05% |
Price Action: Merck shares were down 0.81% on Wednesday, trading at $79.67, with the stock trading up 0.04% after hours.
Merck scores well on Growth in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, with a favorable price trend in the short term. How does it compare with Pfizer and Moderna? Click here to find out.
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