

Monitoring Changes to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
By: Allen Pinn, Manager, Policy
On June 9, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. outlined his decision to remove all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which provides vital guidance regarding the administration of vaccines. Kennedy stated his decision to remove the committee’s members stemmed from a desire to reestablish public confidence in vaccine science.
Set against the backdrop of a 33-year high spike in reported measles cases, a vaccine-preventable illness, this decision caused immediate concern across the medical and patient communities. Many are concerned that the committee will make drastic changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, create increased vaccine hesitancy, and cause some vaccines to be inaccessible to millions of Americans. The National Health Council (NHC) submitted a letter to Secretary Kennedy’s office highlighting the potential consequences of destabilizing the ACIP and urging HHS to reaffirm its commitment to a science-based, stable advisory process for immunization policy.
The ACIP was established in 1964 under the purview of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and provides recommendations on the use of vaccines, including childhood immunization schedules schedule. The ACIP’s recommendations are used by insurers to guide which vaccines they will cover.
On June 25 at the first ACIP meeting since the removal of old committee members, Kennedy and seven newly appointed committee members discussed a variety of topics including a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, the flu vaccine, and COVID data. Dr. Martin Kulldorff, the new chair of the committee, announced that two working groups will be added to the already established 11. The first group will study the interaction of vaccines and the cumulative childhood vaccine schedule, and the second will examine vaccines that have not been discussed by the committee in over seven years. Vaccine proponents are concerned that the formation of these working groups will give the new ACIP members an opportunity to roll back longstanding vaccine guidance.
On July 7, four prominent medical organizations filed a lawsuit against Kennedy and HHS over their policies on the COVID-19 vaccines. The four plaintiffs, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American College of Physicians (ACP), American Public Health Association (APHA) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), are accusing Kennedy of dismantling a longstanding, congressionally authorized, and evidenced-based vaccine infrastructure that has prevented the deaths of millions of Americans. The lawsuit comes after Kennedy announced in May that healthy pregnant women and healthy children would no longer be recommended as candidates to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
The NHC will continue to monitor developments in this lawsuit and ongoing changes/recommendations announced by ACIP. The NHC will also continue advocating to ensure the patient community is centered in policy decisions and monitor the consequences of these changes. The NHC remains steadfast in representing our members’ best interests and highlighting the importance of proven scientific research.