HHS has altered the charters of two vaccine-related committees: the Advisory Commission on Childhood Vaccines (ACCV) and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC).
The timing isn’t unusual, as both charters are up for renewal, said Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH, the attorney leading the American Academy of Pediatrics’ lawsuit against HHS changes to vaccine policy.
“What is not normal, however, are some of the changes being made,” Hughes wrote in emailed remarks.
The ACCV advises HHS on policies and procedures for its National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), while the NVAC advises HHS on national vaccine strategy.
On the ACCV charter, HHS removed the provision on having a designated federal officer, scrapped reporting requirements, and added a provision that the “federal official responsible for ACCV oversight” can serve as temporary chair.
Hughes said the changes are “concerning,” noting it’s “unclear if this means they will attempt to not have a [designated federal officer] in the future.”
On the NVAC charter, HHS said the committee should consider “non-immunization strategies” such as healthy lifestyle and disease prevention initiatives; off-label, repurposed use of existing FDA-approved drugs; and dietary supplements that support healthy immune function.
“These updates are deeply concerning because the entire purpose of NVAC as statutorily defined by Congress revolves around the use of vaccines and immunizations in the control of infectious diseases, not dietary supplements and unproven non-vaccine interventions,” Hughes wrote.
He added that they “appear poised to use this committee as yet another vehicle to disseminate misinformation on the use of vaccines and immunizations.”
Sarah Despres, JD, a former member of NVAC, wrote in a post on LinkedIn that the changes make it clear that the White House isn’t “putting the brakes on Sec. Kennedy’s mission to undermine immunization.”
“To be clear, under NO circumstances are dietary supplements ever a substitute for an FDA-approved immunization to prevent a disease,” Despres wrote.
This isn’t the first time HHS, under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, has tinkered with committee charters. Notably, last month, HHS updated the charter of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to ensure panelists consider “non-vaccine interventions” in their recommendations. The new charter also “inappropriately emphasizes potential gaps or limitations in vaccine data,” several medical groups said at the time.
Kennedy has been making other changes at the ACCV, removing at least four of its members at the beginning of this year. That led some to suspect he was going to reshape the panel as he had with ACIP.
The removals followed a rushed, perfunctory meeting of the ACCV at the end of last year, which involved no policymaking, but highlighted concerns about potential changes at the VICP.
Kennedy also revived a dormant childhood vaccine safety task force that ended its work almost 30 years ago. It was supposed to work closely with the ACCV, but there appears to be little activity since it was announced almost a year ago.
And HHS recently moved to make changes at the VICP’s sister program, the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program. Earlier this month, the Health Resources and Services Administration posted a notice that it will introduce a proposed rule to establish an injury table for COVID countermeasures, including vaccines.
