The CDC vaccine advisory group met in the first day of a shortened meeting, “with seven of its participants newly appointed by [HHS] Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.” CIDRAP has the news.
The group was supposed to have its first vote yesterday, June 25, on a recommendation for Merck’s new RSV monoclonal antibody vaccine for newborns and infants, but it “ran behind schedule and postponed it for” today, June 26.
Senator Bill Cassidy previously called for the postponement of the meeting altogether “owing to the small number of members, some without significant experience in related scientific areas and some that may have preconceived biases.” The fear is that ACIP’s recommendations will be “met with skepticism, which he said would work against the Trump administration's efforts.” Some of the new members are “vaccine skeptics and close allies of Kennedy.”
ACIP recommendations have “traditionally supported health insurance companies' coverage of vaccines, which underpins access and uptake.” The American Academy of Pediatricians took to X to say that “ACIP's meeting today doesn't reflect a gathering of experts to inform the future of vaccines.”
It was also announced that “there will be changes to the membership of the CDC's 11 different vaccine working groups and that two more working groups will be added.” One group will “evaluate the cumulative effects of vaccines on the CDC's recommended schedule for children and adolescents. The other will examine vaccines that have been in use for more than 7 years, which will likely include hepatitis B vaccination at birth and the use of MMRV vaccine in young children.”
Matt MacKenzie | Associate Editor
Matt is Associate Editor for Healthcare Purchasing News.
