RFK Jr announces new panel of vaccine advisers after firing entire previous team

Among the names announced by the US health secretary are several who have expressed anti-vaccine views

Robert Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, named new members to serve on a key panel of vaccine advisers on Wednesday after abruptly firing all 17 sitting members of the independent panel of experts, according to a post on X.

The eight new members of the advisory committee for immunization practices (ACIP) are: Joseph R Hibbeln, Martin Kulldorff, Retsef Levi, Robert W Malone, Cody Meissner, James Pagano, Vicky Pebsworth and Michael A Ross.

“All of these individuals are committed to evidence-based medicine, gold-standard science, and common sense,” Kennedy said in a post on X. The panel is part of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Kennedy said the new members are committed to demanding definitive safety and efficacy data before making any new vaccine recommendations.