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HHS Secretary Kennedy has revised the charter for the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices—shortly after ICAN urged him to do so in a letter sent last week. The new charter language expands the criteria for membership, places new emphasis on vaccine safety, and adds new liaison representatives to make the committee more balanced.
In March, the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) came under fire from a federal judge who called into question the members appointed by Kennedy, claiming that they didn’t meet the committee charter’s criteria for new members. In response to this development, ICAN wrote to Secretary Kennedy, reminding him that he had the power to amend the charter.
ICAN was delighted to see that Kennedy has indeed revised the charter. The updated version differs in several key ways:
First, the charter clarifies and expands the committee membership criteria. Instead of just vaccinologists and epidemiologists (who are often compromised by their industry ties), members can be drawn from a wide range of fields including medicine, toxicology, data science, pediatric neurodevelopment, and vaccine injury.
Second, the charter places a new emphasis on vaccine safety. While the previous version of the charter never mentioned “risks” of vaccines, this new charter mentions it five times and while the old charter mentioned “safety” only three times, the new version mentions it ten times and adds this welcome language:
ACIP shall also be responsible for reviewing data on vaccine safety and adverse events, providing recommendations to enhance vaccine safety surveillance systems, and advising CDC on gaps in vaccine safety research; evaluating the risk/benefit profiles of vaccines based on ongoing surveillance and new research findings; considering analysis of cumulative effects of vaccines and their constituent components; engaging in re-analysis of vaccine safety and efficacy as gaps are identified and new information becomes available….
Third, the charter adds multiple new liaison representatives to the committee, including the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), the Independent Medical Alliance (IMA – formerly FLCCC), the Medical Academy of Pediatrics & Special Needs (MAPS), and Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC). These pro-safety, pro-informed consent organizations will bring welcome balance to the many pro-pharma liaisons.
View this comparison of the old charter versus the new one, to see exactly what has changed. ICAN will be sure to keep you updated as we hear more from HHS on the future of ACIP.
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