On Thursday, June 26, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s newly appointed seven-member vaccine advisory panel voted 5-2 to recommend Merck’s RSV antibody shot clesrovimab for infant protection in the U.S. This vote followed Kennedy’s dismissal earlier this month of the previous 17-member panel and its replacement with a smaller group that includes vaccine skeptics amid controversy over scientific integrity.
The panel also discussed thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative placed on the agenda during the week of June 15, with a presentation by Lyn Redwood, former head of Kennedy’s antivaccine group Children’s Health Defense. Data showed existing RSV interventions dramatically reduced infant hospitalizations last season, and pediatrician Dr. Cody Meissner called it a “spectacular accomplishment” with enormous public health impact despite safety concerns from some panelists.
The unanimous second vote added clesrovimab to the Vaccines for Children Program, but critics warn ideology-driven changes at ACIP risk making vaccines less accessible and affordable for millions.
