Vaccine maker stocks fall as Trump chooses RFK Jr. to steer HHS

Shares of vaccine makers fell Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a distinguished vaccine skeptic, to steer the Department of Health and Human Services. 

The stocks fell in the ultimate hour of trading as reports emerged about Trump’s expected pick. Moderna‘s stock closed greater than 5% lower on Thursday, shares of Novavax fell greater than 7% and Pfizer‘s stock ended greater than 2% lower.

Shares of BioNTech, the German drugmaker that helped develop a Covid vaccine with Pfizer, closed greater than 6% lower. British drugmaker GSK, which makes flu shots and a number of other other vaccines, closed roughly 2% lower.

Shares of those corporations dipped further in prolonged trading as Trump confirmed his pick in a post on his platform Truth Social.

Health policy experts have said a second Trump term could allow Kennedy to raise anti-vaccine rhetoric, which could deter more Americans from receiving Covid shots and routine immunizations which have for many years saved hundreds of thousands of lives and prevented debilitating illnesses.

Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are still recovering from falling Covid vaccination rates within the U.S., which have dented their profits over the past two years. 

Kennedy’s track record as a vaccine skeptic is extensive. He has long made misleading and false statements concerning the safety of shots, similar to claiming they’re linked to autism despite quite a few studies going back many years that debunk the association.

Kennedy is the founding father of the nonprofit Kid’s Health Defense, probably the most well-funded anti-vaccine organization within the country.