Pharmaceutical executives are expressing their discontent with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s aggressive anti-vaccine policies. At a recent J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, industry leaders voiced their concerns about a significant overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule announced last week.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, who had previously avoided criticism of the Trump administration, spoke candidly, saying, āI am very annoyed. Iām very disappointed. Iām seriously frustrated. What is happening has zero scientific merit and is just serving an agenda which is political, and then antivax.ā
The controversial changes, which reduce the number of routine vaccinations from 17 to 11, were implemented without the customary scientific review and transparent decision-making processes. Kennedy claims that the adjustment aligns the U.S. with peer nations; however, an analysis by Stat News reveals that the U.S. now significantly lags behind most countries in terms of vaccine recommendations.
Of the 20 peer countries examined by Stat, only Denmark shares a similarly low number of vaccine recommendations. In response, leading medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, are preparing a legal challenge to oppose the new vaccine schedule.