The membership criteria are also dramatically different between the current bylaws and today’s renewal. Currently, ACIP members “shall be selected from authorities who have knowledge in the fields of immunization practices and public health, have experience in the use of vaccines and other immunobiological agents in clinical practice or preventive medicine, have experience in clinical or laboratory research of vaccines, or have experience in evaluating the efficacy and safety of vaccines.” These specific core requirements of expertise in immunization practices and vaccine science were central to Murphy’s conclusions that Kennedy appointees were unsuitable to serve on the committee.
The renewal notice did not mention these criteria, but instead spoke of members having a “geographic balance” (representing different parts of the country) and a “balance of specialty areas.” It provided a long list of specialty areas covering a much broader range of medical and scientific fields and potentially more. They include: “biostatistics, toxicology, immunology, epidemiology, pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, nursing, consumer issues, state and local health department perspective, academic perspective, public health perspective, etc.”
Suggested changes
Some of the changes in the renewal may be due to a push by an anti-vaccine group close to Kennedy. The group is the Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN), headed by Kennedy anti-vaccine ally Del Bigtree, who works with Aaron Siri, a lawyer who worked on Kennedy’s failed presidential campaign and has filed numerous lawsuits seeking compensation for alleged vaccine injuries. Siri is also notable for asking the Food and Drug Administration to revoke polio vaccine.
last month, ICAN urged Kennedy to review ACIP statutes and Siri Law Firm provided a draft, complete with modified textof what they want for the new letter. The draft states that ACIP members must have expertise in any area “that the Secretary deems relevant.” But it specifically states that “at least two members must have direct and substantial experience advocating for and/or treating those injured by vaccines.”
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to Ars Technica’s questions about changes to the renewal notice or possible updates to the full language of the CDC statutes. Spokesman Andrew Nixon would only say in an emailed statement that the renewal is part of “routine legal requirements and does not indicate any broader policy change.”
