LONDON (Reuters) – President-elect Donald Trump mentioned on Thursday he has chosen Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an environmental activist who has unfold misinformation on vaccines, to steer the Division of Well being and Human Companies, the USA’ prime well being company.
Under are feedback from scientists, public well being consultants and market analysts:
DR KRISHANTHI SUBRAMANIAM, LECTURER AT THE INSTITUTE OF INFECTION, VETERINARY AND ECOLOGICAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL:
“(The nomination) is alarming not simply to the well being of these residing within the U.S. but additionally to everybody within the international group.
“Kennedy has a track-record of being a vaccine denier and has touted vaccine misinformation as scientific fact. This announcement might usher in a heightened interval of vaccine hesitancy in the USA which might imply outbreaks of illnesses that vaccines have saved at bay.”
PROFESSOR JOHNJOE MCFADDEN, PROFESSOR EMERITUS, FACULTY OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF SURREY:
“(The nomination) as soon as once more demonstrates his disregard for science in favour of pseudoscience, misinformation, and conspiracy theories. If he’s confirmed, the insurance policies he advocates could possibly be a catastrophe, significantly for American kids.”
PROFESSOR SIMON WESSELY, REGIUS PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY, KING’S COLLEGE LONDON
“That sound that you simply simply heard was my jaw dropping, hitting the ground and rolling out of the door. As somebody who graduated from a Texas Excessive College I’ve nice admiration and affection for Individuals. They deserve higher, significantly better, than this.”
DR DAVID ELLIMAN, CONSULTANT PAEDIATRICIAN, GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN:
“Whereas RFK Jr’s need to sort out persistent circumstances together with weight problems is commendable, how he would possibly go about it’s much less clear.
“What is actually regarding are his views on vaccination. He has perpetuated myths, together with that of a hyperlink between MMR vaccine and autism, with an utter disregard for the proof.
“If he’s appointed and continues in the identical mode, I worry not only for the vaccination programme in USA, however comparable programmes world wide, and for healthcare, basically.
“Vaccination has most likely saved extra lives and is best researched than most, if not all, elements of healthcare. RFK Jr. may set this again and be liable for the dying and incapacity of myriads of individuals, significantly kids.
“Allow us to hope that, if appointed, he adopts a extra accountable angle. Directing his energies to the ‘industrial meals complicated’ can be no dangerous factor, as would making certain extra transparency from pharmaceutical corporations.”
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION SPOKESPERSON MARGARET HARRIS:
“It is for WHO’s member states to make their choices on the route and implementation of their very own nationwide insurance policies, agendas, who they appoint, and so forth.
“However you will need to reiterate that the USA is a crucial associate of the World Well being Group, and our collaboration, as you’ve seen again and again, has considerably improved the well being of Individuals at dwelling and other people world wide and clearly, WHO continues to work carefully and productively with the USA Authorities on many, many fronts with a view to shield and promote public well being.”
LAWRENCE GOSTIN, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT AND PROFESSOR AT GEORGETOWN LAW IN WASHINGTON D.C. (SPEAKING BEFORE RFK’S NOMINATION WAS ANNOUNCED):
“An RFK JR within the White Home and loyalist appointed to those key businesses (CDC and so forth) could possibly be a downfall for scientifically based mostly goal vaccine suggestions that the world has adopted.
“The opposite factor is vaccine donations, and whether or not or not Trump would proceed the custom of donating vaccines resembling mpox vaccines, as Biden has accomplished … so these are actually essential areas of significance.”
TD COWEN ANALYST RICK WEISSENSTEIN:
“We proceed to imagine that Kennedy Jr. is not going to be confirmed by the GOP managed Senate.”
“Trump may attempt to use a recess appointment to get Kennedy Jr. into workplace. Recess appointments are allowed solely when the Senate is out of session for 10 or extra days.
“If Trump manages to make a recess appointment, RFK Jr.’s time period would solely final for about two years on the most, although Kennedy Jr. could possibly be appointed once more by the identical recess appointment or by the common Senate affirmation course of.”
JPMORGAN ANALYSTS:
“Admittedly, it’s troublesome to judge the precise affect this appointment may have on the business till we now have extra info on particular coverage proposals and priorities of the incoming administration on healthcare and the drug business.
“That mentioned, we aren’t shocked the sector has been below strain on the potential for RFK Jr. having oversight of the assorted businesses inside HHS (together with the FDA, the CDC, NIH, and Medicare/Medicaid) given his earlier said views on the business.”
JEFFERIES ANALYSTS:
“To be clear, RFK has mentioned he has no plans to ‘take away vaccines’ however the level is round sentiment, stance, and perspective – that impacts biotech traders’ view of how FDA and different HHS points will evolve (ie not accelerating medicine and pro-biotech).
“RFK has additionally been outspoken on vaccines – however that is ‘much less’ of a direct concern for a lot of the biotech business apart from to solid further concern across the stance of RFK total on the business and underlying science pushed choices.”
