Recent study casts doubts on RFK Jr.’s reasons for gutting vaccine panel

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently gutted a key government vaccine panel, saying it was vital to eliminate what he called “persistent conflicts of interest” on the committee. 

But latest research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics appears to challenge that argument. Conflicts on that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel had been at “historic lows for years” before Kennedy restacked it with latest members, a few of whom are widely known vaccine critics, the researchers found.

The study, published within the medical journal JAMA on Monday, also found that the form of conflict considered to be the “most concerning” – income from vaccine makers – had been virtually eliminated amongst members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. 

Conflicts of rates of interest were also low on a separate panel of advisors to the Food and Drug Administration called the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, or VRBPAC, based on the research. 

Each groups are crucial to shaping U.S. vaccine policy: While the FDA committee advises the agency on whether to approve shots, the CDC panel determines who’s eligible for jabs and whether insurers should cover them. The panels are typically made up of top experts in infectious diseases, pediatrics, immunology and public health.

Kennedy has long contended that the advisors on those panels have close ties to the pharmaceutical industry. At his first Senate confirmation hearing in January, Kennedy claimed that 97% of the CDC panel members had conflicts of interest.

“Before he was confirmed, I saw this 97% number and thought, wow, that is some serious stuff. But after the vaccine data myself, I actually couldn’t see anything at that scale,” said the study’s lead writer Genevieve Kanter, an associate professor of public policy on the University of Southern California, in an interview.

“I feel it can be reassuring to the general public and to the [Trump] administration that issues that we thought were pretty serious or up to now were serious should not anymore,” she added. 

The research comes as Kennedy, a distinguished vaccine skeptic himself, overhauls federal health agencies and pursues efforts that might change immunization policy and undermine vaccine uptake within the U.S. 

The USC researchers analyzed reported financial conflicts of interest amongst experts on the 2 vaccine panels between 2000 and 2024. 

Here’s how conflicts of interest disclosures work on the panels, which meet several times a yr to review vaccines: For every product being discussed, members must say in the event that they have a tie to the vaccine maker or a competitor and disclose the character of the connection. People on the panel with conflicts either receive a waiver to participate in the event that they are deemed to supply essential expertise, while those with conflicts considered too significant are recused. 

Since 2016, a mean of 6.2% of ACIP members and 1.9% of VRBPAC members have reported a financial conflict of interest at any given meeting, based on the paper. During that period, lower than 1% of reported conflicts on each panels were tied to non-public income from vaccine makers, including consulting fees, stock, royalties or ownership. 

Rates of reported conflicts amongst ACIP members fell to five% by 2024, and stayed below 4% amongst VRBPAC members since 2010, including 10 years where there have been no reported conflicts in any respect. 

Conflict of rates of interest were significantly higher within the early 2000s, peaking at around 43% for ACIP in 2000 and 27% for VRBPAC in 2007, the researchers found. 

The study said the decline through the years could also be on account of policy changes in 2007 that cracked down on conflicts of interest on the FDA panel, and “greater awareness and scrutiny” of conflicts in agency decision-making. It is not clear when precisely the CDC committee began to do the identical. 

Across the study period, probably the most continuously reported conflict of interest was research support, which is usually considered less of a priority than financial ties related to personal income. Kanter said that is a mirrored image of the panel members’ areas of experience which can be relevant to evaluating the protection, efficacy and applicability of shots. 

“The dominant conflicts were grant support for research. In a way that is sensible because, who do we would like on these committees? It’s individuals with expertise on find out how to conduct research on these vaccines,” Kanter said. 

“These conflicts should not about personal gain, but related to measures of experience.” 

While a few of the rates seem like higher with ACIP members than with people on the VRBPAC panel, Kanter said it is just not comparable since the CDC provides “far less granular” data on conflicts of interest. She added that the FDA panel typically reviews one product at a time during a gathering, while the CDC committee evaluates multiple. 

Kanter said it will be important to look at conflicts of interest and the influence of the pharmaceutical industry in lots of elements of health-care regulation. 

But she added that “if we do need to deal with conflicts of interest, there could also be other areas where the prevalence is a greater concern than what we have seen here with these vaccine panels.” 

Be happy to send any suggestions, suggestions, story ideas and data to Annika at annikakim.constantino@nbcuni.com.

Warren Buffett was just what the doctor ordered to stabilize UnitedHealth Group shares. 

Be happy to send any suggestions, suggestions, story ideas and data to Bertha at bertha.coombs@nbcuni.com.

It’s that point of yr again! I’m attending Epic’s annual Users Group Meeting, where 1000’s of health-care executives flock to the corporate’s 1,670-acre headquarters to learn in regards to the company’s latest products and features. 

Epic is a health-care software company best known for its electronic health record, or EHR software. An EHR is a digital version of a patient’s medical record that is maintained by doctors and nurses over time. Epic is the dominant EHR vendor within the U.S., and its technology is utilized in 3,300 hospitals and 73,000 clinics and by 325 million patients across the globe, based on the corporate.

Artificial intelligence was front and center at UGM this yr, very similar to it was last yr. During a three-hour-long executive address Tuesday morning, Epic executives shared updates in regards to the roughly 200 latest AI features it has been developing for patients, clinicians and payers. Keep an eye fixed out for extra coverage from CNBC that explains a few of these upcoming features in additional detail. 

Epic confirmed that it’s developing its own AI-powered clinical documentation tool, which was one of the vital anticipated announcements of this yr’s event. These tools, which are sometimes called AI scribes, are in a position to draft clinical notes in real time as doctors consensually record their visits with patients. 

A fiercely competitive AI scribing market has taken off as health-care executives seek for solutions to assist reduce staff burnout and daunting administrative workloads. Some AI scribing startups like Abridge and Ambience Healthcare have raised tons of of tens of millions of dollars from investors, and there was plenty of speculation about whether Epic would ultimately join the fray. 

The corporate said it’s working on this feature in partnership with Microsoft, and that it can be available for limited use early next yr. 

“AI is here, it’s accelerating, you’ll be able to’t wish it away, you’ve got got to maintain up with it,” Epic’s President Sumit Rana said throughout the address. 

The presentations took place in Epic’s 11,400-seat underground auditorium called Deep Space, which is just one in every of the numerous unique facilities on campus. Epic’s office buildings are themed, with many inspired by science fiction and stories like “The Wizard of Oz,” the Harry Potter series and “Alice in Wonderland.” 

UGM meetings are also themed, and Epic executives famously take the stage wearing costume. This yr’s theme was “sci-fi,” and Epic’s 82-year-old founder and CEO Judy Faulkner wore a purple wig, vibrant green shoes and a metallic vest that appeared inspired by the fictional character, Buzz Lightyear. 

CNBC had the chance to take a seat down with Faulkner earlier this summer in a rare interview, where she reflected on her 46 years at the corporate’s helm. During her presentation on Tuesday, Faulkner discussed Epic’s AI initiatives and roadmap. 

“We’re combining the intelligence and curiosity of the human being with the investigative capabilities of gen AI,” she said. 

Lots of the latest features Epic teased on Tuesday are still several months, or over a yr, away. But it surely’s clear that Epic is leaning in on AI, they usually didn’t let this yr’s UGM attendees forget it. 

Read more about CNBC’s interview with Faulkner here.

Be happy to send any suggestions, suggestions, story ideas and data to Ashley at ashley.capoot@nbcuni.com.