CDC Drops Major Medical Groups From Vaccine Policy Role

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has cut eight prominent medical associations — including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and American Medical Association (AMA) — from its vaccine policy workgroups, citing conflicts of interest tied to pharmaceutical industry funding.

The decision affects the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), the influential body that recommends which vaccines should be given, who should receive them, and how often. ACIP guidance shapes CDC’s Vaccines for Children Program, determines insurance coverage, and influences state vaccine mandates for schools and daycares.

In an email obtained by the Associated Press, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the groups were considered “special interest” organizations with inherent bias due to the constituencies they represent. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon stated:

“Under the old ACIP, outside pressure to align with vaccine orthodoxy limited asking the hard questions. The old ACIP members were plagued by conflicts of interest, influence, and bias. We are fulfilling our promise to the American people to never again allow those conflicts to taint vaccine recommendations.”

While these organizations can still attend public ACIP meetings, they will no longer participate in closed working groups that analyze data and shape policy.

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Medical Groups Push Back

In a joint statement, the removed organizations — which include the AAP, AMA, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Geriatrics Society, American Osteopathic Association, Infectious Diseases Society of America, and National Medical Association — called the decision “irresponsible” and warned it could undermine public trust in vaccines.

“We are deeply disappointed and alarmed that our organizations are being characterized as ‘biased’ and therefore barred from reviewing scientific data and informing vaccine recommendations,” the statement read.

They have urged the Trump administration to reverse course.

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Kennedy’s Overhaul of Vaccine Policy

This move follows HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s earlier overhaul of ACIP. In June, Kennedy retired all 17 members of the committee, citing their financial ties to pharmaceutical companies and previous promotion of controversial vaccines such as COVID-19, RSV, and HPV shots.

The newly appointed ACIP members quickly made waves, voting to stop recommending thimerosal-containing flu shots — a mercury-based preservative criticized by some researchers — and to recommend Merck’s RSV monoclonal antibody for newborns.

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Deep Pharmaceutical Ties Revealed

Financial disclosures show every removed organization receives substantial funding from pharmaceutical companies, including vaccine manufacturers:

• AAP: Corporate sponsors include Moderna, Merck, Sanofi, Abbott, GSK, and CSL Seqirus.

• AMA: Sponsors include PhRMA, Merck, Pfizer, Novartis, Sanofi, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and GSK.

• National Medical Association: Funded by Eli Lilly, Gilead, Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, and AstraZeneca.

• Infectious Diseases Society of America: Partners with Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Gilead, Merck, Moderna, Pfizer, and Sanofi.

• American Academy of Family Physicians: Partners with Pfizer, Merck, Sanofi, and Amazon Pharmacy.

• American College of Physicians: Corporate partners include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Big Food companies like Tyson Foods and PepsiCo.

• American Geriatrics Society: Sponsors include Merck and Pfizer.

• American Osteopathic Association: Funded by Pfizer, Astellas, Merck, and Sanofi.

Some of these groups have actively opposed policy changes from the new ACIP, including limits on certain vaccines and preservation of religious and philosophical exemptions.

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New Approach: Broader Expertise, Less Industry Influence

New ACIP working groups will now select experts based solely on their merit and relevant experience, according to new committee member Retsef Levi, Ph.D.

Levi wrote on X that the shift is intended to replace “radical & narrow” public health perspectives with a broader range of disciplines and to end the dominance of organizations with proven conflicts of interest.

The decision marks one of the most significant shakeups in federal vaccine policy-making in decades — and signals a deep split between federal health leadership and long-established medical institutions.

DailyClout.IO will continue to follow this story. Sources listed below:

https://apnews.com/article/robert-f-kennedy-jr-cdc-vaccine-advisory-committee-6a8a48ecb06e03de25b565189b9cfcbb
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-06/cdc-cuts-out-medical-groups-from-vaccine-policy-panels
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/index.html
https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-academy-of-pediatrics/summary
https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/american-medical-association/summary

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