RFK Jr.’s new ACIP members to review vaccine ingredients

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisory panel will discuss and vote on the use of the measles vaccines for children next week.

The agenda for the upcoming CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting revisits ongoing concerns about vaccine safety. The meeting is from June 25-26.

In the upcoming meeting, the new ACIP members will be presented with information about thimerosal, a preservative that contains mercury and is found in some adult flu vaccines by companies such as Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) and CSL Ltd. Some have argued that thimerosal is linked to autism, though the CDC says that numerous studies have dismissed this connection.

On June 26, the panel will vote on recommendations regarding vaccines that contain thimerosal. Additionally, it will consider recommendations for the measles, mumps, and chickenpox vaccines for children under five.

Kennedy is also considering asking a key government vaccine advisory panel to examine vaccines that contain aluminum ingredients, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing a source familiar with the matter.

Aluminum compounds are utilized in vaccines like Pfizer’s (NYSE:PFE) Prevnar for pneumococcal diseases, Merck’s (NYSE:MRK) Gardasil for HPV, and hepatitis B vaccines.

Recently, Kennedy made major changes to the ACIP by dismissing all current members and appointing several outspoken vaccine critics.