The appointment thus follows Kennedy's decision to dismiss all 17 former members of the committee, citing conflicts of interest. Kennedy has long been a prominent vaccine skeptic and has criticized former committee members for being too closely linked to the pharmaceutical industry. However, no concrete examples or accusations have been made.
Controversial names in new composition
When the previous members were dismissed, it became clear that the committee's planned meeting on June 25-27 was still on track. But who would come? The answer came with the announcement of the eight new members of ACIP, which consist of a composition from different professional backgrounds, several of whom have made themselves known for their criticism of vaccines and pandemic management. Swedish Martin Kulldorff was fired from his professorship at Harvard last year and is one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, which in October 2020 advocated a milder public health strategy against COVID-19. He has previously been part of an ACIP subgroup focusing on vaccine safety.
Other names that must be seen as controversial are Robert malone, known for his vocal opposition to Covid vaccines, particularly mRNA vaccines, and Vicky Pebsworth, which is connected to National Vaccine Information Center, an organization that warns about the risks of vaccines.
In a post on Platform X, Kennedy explains the appointments by saying that the new members are qualified researchers who will demand evidence-based medicine and safety before making new vaccine recommendations.
However, the decision to replace the entire committee has raised concerns among both public health experts and the pharmaceutical industry, with critics saying the change could undermine confidence in vaccine recommendations and negatively impact public health policy.
Still unclear about the next ACIP meeting
As previously mentioned, the next ACIP meeting is scheduled for June 25-27, but the question remains whether and in what form that meeting will be held. The committee can only make decisions if a quorum is present, which according to its latest guidelines is defined as “more than half of the voting members are present.” According to Dorit Reiss, a professor at UC Law who spoke to National public radio, they are enough The eight members Kennedy has appointed do not constitute a quorum on the 19-member committee. Therefore, at least two ex officio members from other Department of Health and Human Services agencies must temporarily be granted voting rights for the meeting to proceed with valid decisions.
