CDC vaccines panel axed by RFK Jr. had conflicts of interest near historic lows

Although HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited “persistent conflicts of interest” as part of his justification for firing all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in June, a new study is throwing water on those comments.
Between 2000 and 2024, the panel’s annual reported financial conflict of interest rate dropped dramatically to 5% from 42.8%, according to a research letter published in JAMA.
“Secretary Kennedy is right that conflict of interest is an important issue, but he is wrong that it is present at substantial levels on [HHS] vaccine advisory committees,” co-author Peter Lurie, a former FDA associate commissioner and president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told Reuters in a statement.
In a June op-ed, RFK Jr. cited a 2001 House committee report that found half of the members who voted in favor of a rotavirus vaccine had financial ties to companies developing different rotavirus shots.
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