Medical Organizations Speak Out En Masse About New ACIP Charter

The organizations warn that the new charter might further undermine confidence in vaccines.

April 17, 2026

Key Highlights

The revised ACIP charter was posted after a court blocked previous activities due to appointment controversies.
Over 130 medical organizations have expressed concern that the changes could undermine vaccine confidence and access.
The new focus emphasizes vaccine safety research and considers potential harms, which critics say echoes vaccine skeptics' viewpoints.
Legal challenges stem from appointments that may have violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act, leading to temporary suspension of ACIP's work.
The controversy highlights tensions between political influences and scientific integrity in vaccine policymaking.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) posted a heavily-revised charter on April 9. Healthcare Innovation has the news.

The move follows a “March court order that temporarily blocked the work of ACIP and put some of its previous moves on hold.” A judge had ruled that HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s new appointments to ACIP “likely violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act.”

The new charter “broadens qualifications for panel members that would allow the inclusion of Kennedy allies," and it also "echoes wording of vaccine critics about focusing on possible harms, such as studying 'gaps in vaccine safety research’ and considering ‘cumulative effects’ of shots, which are considered settled science.”

Over 130 medical organizations have expressed alarm over the proposed changes to the charter. A group statement said that the new charter “substantively changes the focus of the committee and its membership structure, which could undermine confidence in vaccines and ultimately affect access to immunizations.”

The article referenced in this story originally ran as “Over 130 Organizations Raise Concerns About Proposed Changes to ACIP Charter” on Healthcare Innovation, an EndeavorB2B partner site.