A spokesman told The Guardian that Robert F Kennedy Jr, a member of Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, withdrew the federal vaccine advisory group after a conflict of interest review.
Dr. Michael Ross, who is involved in several private healthcare companies, stepped down after reviewing his financial holdings.
Kennedy unilaterally fired all 17 members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), thinking they had too many conflicts of interest.
After the Secretary, Ross was one of eight ideological allies Kennedy appointed to the committee. debate The old members of the committee suffered too many conflicts of interest.
“Yesterday, Dr. Michael Ross decided to withdraw from ACIP during the financial holding review,” a spokesperson for the ministry healthy and Human Services (HHS) said.
“The sacrifice of serving on ACIP varies from member to member and we thank Dr. Ross for his willingness to go through this rigorous process.”
The spokesperson commented after the Guardian asked about the disclosure of conflicts of interest for new ACIP members. Although Trump administration Kennedy developed Conflict of Interest Tracker Specially targeting ACIP members, Kennedy’s appointment has not been added yet.
A HHS spokesman did not respond to a question about when and where the guardian will be issued a new, written conflict disclosure.
Instead, the spokesman said the department “has comprehensively reviewed all newly appointed ACIP members in accordance with federal laws, regulations and departmental policies to create all conflicts of interest” and provided members with “ethical training before performing their duties.”
New members of the committee were asked to disclose conflicts of interest before the meeting began Wednesday. Committee Chairman Dr. Martin Kulldorff and committee member Dr. Robert Malone omitted the widely reported vaccine litigation work, and nurse Vicky Pebsworth said she was asked to read.
The moral review of new members is also the subject of Senate testimony.
Asked by Democratic Senator Patty Murray in Washington, Trump nominee Dr. Susan Monarez said she was “unfamiliar with whether the members who attended the meeting this week had or had not passed the moral review necessary to allow them to attend those meetings.”
“Would you accept that they are valid if you know they have not gone through the moral process and give advice?” Murray asked.
“If they haven’t gone through the ethical approval process, they shouldn’t be attending the meeting,” Monares said.
Health & Wellness Contributor
A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
