CDC Ends Outside Influence to Eliminate Vaccine Panel Conflicts

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified several outside groups tied to the pharmaceutical industry that they will no longer participate in panels that review vaccine data and form recommendations for CDC vaccine advisory committees.

This move comes amid heightened concerns about conflicts of interest. Some organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, are suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., while others face removal due to reported ties with vaccine manufacturers. For example, the American Pharmacists Association lists companies like GlaxoSmithKline and Moderna among its corporate supporters.

“It is important that the ACIP workgroup activities remain free of influence from any special interest groups, so ACIP workgroups will no longer include liaison organizations,” an email to the groups stated. Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC, said, “Under the old ACIP, outside pressure to align with vaccine orthodoxy limited asking the hard questions. The old ACIP members were plagued by conflicts of interest, influence, and bias. We are fulfilling our promise to the American people to never again allow those conflicts to taint vaccine recommendations.”

Previously, these closed-door panels, or workgroups, included members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and outside experts from liaison organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics. Now, the CDC says workgroups will be limited to ACIP members, CDC experts, and select outside experts based on experience and expertise.

The CDC says that the new policy will ensure that vaccine recommendations are free from industry influence and conflicts of interest, marking a shift away from the previous, more controversial involvement of outside groups.

–The Epoch Times News Service