In an interview with Fox News in 2023, Robert F Kennedy (RFK) Jr said: “Autism comes from vaccines.” This claim has been unanimously rejected by science worldwide, yet it still seeps into politically charged vaccine discourse in the US.
At the time of the quote, RFK Jr was not a member of the cabinet. Now, he is the US Health Secretary, and his vaccine-related actions have now gone beyond non-evidence-based statements.
Under President Donald Trump, RFK Jr has embarked on a mission to reset vaccine regulation in the US.
The health secretary is still navigating the ongoing measles outbreak in the country. There have been three confirmed deaths from the disease, all in unvaccinated children. RFK Jr has flip-flopped between endorsing and shunning the MMR vaccine, a shot that is proven to provide strong immunity against the disease.
Having distanced himself from vaccine scepticism during his confirmation hearing, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) chief made his most significant alteration to national vaccine regulation on June 10 when he fired the entirety of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Just two days later, RFK Jr repopulated the panel with well-known vaccine sceptics and individuals who were critical of both the Covid-19 vaccines and related countermeasures such as lockdowns.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataGiven that the ACIP is the committee responsible for reviewing vaccine data and issuing official government recommendations on immunisations, the reshuffle has caused concerns among the industry regarding the future of public health in the US.
The former 17 ACIP members have said that the US vaccine programme is critically weakened because of the panel additions, combined with further cuts at the CDC, as per a comment piece in the medical journal JAMA, published on 16 June 2025.
Experts weigh in on ‘dangerous’ future
“This was completely predictable. RFK Jr has had his sights on this committee for some time,” says Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security.
Perhaps the most well-known opponent to vaccines joining the panel is Dr Robert Malone, an anti-vaccine activist who has spread misinformation about Covid-19 and the vaccines used to treat it. More recently, he blamed, without evidence, hospital error as the cause of recent paediatric deaths in children with measles, rather than the lack of immunisation against the disease.
Also appointed is Vicky Pebsworth, the current director of research and patient safety at the National Vaccine Information Center, a group that advocates for vaccine exemptions. Other panel members include medical and health experts with no clear ties to vaccine development or public health strategy. James Pagano, for example, has worked in trauma centres and served on hospital committees, with no experience of vaccine deployment.
Adalja claims: “It’s not surprising that he has placed some of his cronies on the reconstituted committee. Some of the members have no expertise when it comes to vaccination science and policy; some others evade the value of vaccines; all of them are beholden to RFK Jr. His actions can only be viewed as trying to dismantle the whole ecosystem around vaccines and make it a very hostile environment.”
Dr Tyler Evans, who served as the first chief medical officer for New York City during the pandemic, said the decision to remove seasoned experts and replace them with individuals lacking fundamental public health training and openly antagonistic to vaccines is “not just misguided, but dangerous”.
Evans, who was previously nominated to serve on the ACIP panel, says: “This isn’t some abstract policy shift. These decisions have real-life consequences for children, the immunocompromised, and marginalised communities already navigating deep systemic barriers to care. When science is politicised, people suffer.”
Vaccine R&D stagnation likely
Although ACIP recommendations are separate from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approvals, national immunisation recommendation provides a key pillar on which to guide pipeline development for a pharmaceutical company. Historically, federal funding has been used to develop vaccines, as infectious disease markets are often not as lucrative as other indications.
With the Trump administration having already made swathing cuts to the federal piggy bank, an ACIP panel overhaul could be the final straw for pharma companies already convincing investors that vaccine R&D is the optimum financial strategy.
Adalja reckons: “I think the new ACIP will make vaccine development harder in the US and discourage pharma/biotech from continuing in this field.
“Pharma/biotech companies have myriad places to invest in, vaccines are increasingly going to be viewed as a risky proposition given that the entire field is now being poisoned by anti-vaccine forces.”
Experts at the investment bank William Blair concur. In a research note, equity research analyst Miles Minter said: “We view the complete line change at the ACIP as a potential hindrance to the vaccine development space.”
Investor focus is quickly turning to ACIP’s next meeting, which is scheduled to proceed on 25-27 June. The new panel is set to hold votes on maternal/paediatric respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines and RSV vaccines under the federal Vaccines for Children programme.
“This will be the first time for investors to see the refreshed ACIP in action and will be important for sentiment in the vaccine sector, which continues to decline in our view,” Minter commented.
Evans adds: “Innovation cannot thrive in an environment where science is treated like opinion. If we show that evidence-based decision-making can be pushed aside for political convenience, we risk losing our strategic and moral footing as a public health leader.”
mRNA technology top of the agenda
When investigating what type of vaccine will be first to be heavily scrutinised, mRNA looks set to be top of the list based on precedent displayed by RFK Jr. In May 2025, he said that all new vaccines would need to be developed without using mRNA technology.
Data on mRNA vaccinations indicates the modality is just as safe as attenuated vaccines. A curb on mRNA approvals would not only impact infectious disease control but also cancer therapy, where mRNA technology is demonstrating considerable promise.
“There is an irrational stigmatisation of mRNA vaccines occurring throughout government (at both state and federal levels) and with individuals like Malone on ACIP, I anticipate it will only get worse,” Adalja comments.
Malone claims to have played an integral role in the creation of the mRNA vaccine, though Covid-19 experts have debunked this. In recent years, he has spread unfounded claims about the modality’s efficacy and safety.
Changes are already afoot in the corridors of mRNA research. National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials have urged scientists to remove all references to mRNA vaccine technology from grant applications, as per an email reported by KFF Health News.
mRNA vaccine specialist Moderna recently withdrew an application for its Covid-19 and flu combination vaccine. It is unclear whether this was linked to RFK Jr’s regulatory squeeze, though it did occur just a few weeks before the ACIP panel was axed.
Evans says: “mRNA vaccines have been unfairly cast as a political wedge when they should be recognised as one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine. They will likely be the first target.”
As with most changes under the Trump administration, sentiment in the vaccine landscape is swiftly oscillating. A clue to its outlook will likely present itself in the next ACIP meeting, though the long-term future of vaccines in the US with RFK Jr at the HHS helm remains unclear.
