Among the terminated advisory committees was the NIH Center for Scientific Review Advisory Council, which was established in 1988. The advisory council wasn’t responsible for reviewing grant applications; rather, it advised NIH leaders on how to allocate research funds.
“Be incensed”
Beyond the NIH, the CDC had nine advisory committees terminated, among others, such as ACIP, that were undermined. Four were terminated at the FDA.
Terminated and otherwise undermined advisory committees included those that focused on childhood vaccines, heritable diseases in newborns and children, Alzheimer’s disease, health equity, healthcare infection control, rural health, novel and exceptional technology, long COVID, and the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the report finds.
In January, HHS appointed 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, an advisory panel that monitors autism research and progress on causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. At least eight of the new members believe, as Kennedy does, the debunked claim that vaccines cause autism. In response to the appointments, autism researchers and advocates formed a competing nongovernmental advisory committee to counter the anticipated misinformation from the federal panel.
At the FDA, terminated advisory committees focused on arthritis, medical imaging drugs, pharmaceutical sciences, and patient engagement.
In all, the report finds that Kennedy’s attack on these expert advisory committees is undermining the biomedical enterprise and overall health of the US—and that the damage may be difficult to quickly reverse.
“All Americans, including patients, lawmakers, and scientists, have every right to be incensed at the damage Trump has done to federal health advisory committees,” Michael Abrams, a senior health researcher at Public Citizen and author of the report, said. “Trump’s actions are undermining biomedical research, long-standing processes for the approval of new drugs and medical devices, and federal vaccine policy. Silencing and biasing external experts makes HHS vulnerable to stagnation and corruption that erodes the health of all Americans.”
