Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Advisers To Discuss MMRV Shots, Thimerosal Preservative In Flu Shots
Stat: Vaccine Advisers To Consider MMRV Vaccines, ‘Thimerosal Containing’ Flu Shots In Pared-Down Meeting
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s handpicked panel of vaccines advisers will weigh in on two long-approved shots at its first meeting next week, an agenda posted on Wednesday shows. The panel will vote next week on recommendations related to “thimerosal containing” flu vaccines, and also reconsider recommendations related to the use of the combination measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine for children under 5. (Cirruzzo, 6/18)
The Daily Beast: RFK Jr. Lands On Next Target Of His MAHA Crusade
Thimerosal, a preservative that is used to prevent microbial growth in vaccines, has long been targeted by anti-vaccine activists because it contains mercury. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. authored a book in 2014 that advocated for the removal of thimerosal from vaccines, erroneously linking it to autism. (Ornedo, 6/19)
Medscape: Senator, Medical Groups Request Inquiry Into ACIP Firings
Senator Bernie Sanders is calling for a congressional inquiry into the mass firing of all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). The Independent from Vermont issued his demand in a letter to Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican colleague and chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), which confirmed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, as Health and Human Services secretary. (Ault, 6/19)
CIDRAP: Vaccine RCT Spreadsheet Aims To Show The Data, Dispel Myths About Vaccines
Since late April, an infectious diseases specialist at Stanford University and his colleagues have been volunteering their time on a project they hope will help educate the public, and combat misinformation, about the safety and efficacy vaccines. The project, led by Jake Scott, MD, is a spreadsheet of all the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have ever been conducted for licensed vaccines. The idea, hatched on the social media site X, was prompted by responses to an old video of current Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., in which he claims that none of vaccines mandated for US children has ever been tested in preclinical studies against a placebo. In one of the responses, infectious disease physician Brad Spellberg, MD, suggested a crowd-sourced effort to identify and post all of the RCTs in which vaccines have been tested against a placebo. (Dall, 6/18)
In related MAHA news —
Newsweek: US To Drop Guidance On Alcohol Limits: Report
The United States is set to drop its current guidance on alcohol consumption, according to a report from Reuters. The report, which Newsweek has not yet independently confirmed, states that the Department of Health and Human Services will revise the current guidance, which currently recommends having two or fewer drinks a day. The new guidelines on consumption are expected to be more general and less specific than the current guidelines. (Clark, 6/18)
Fox Business: Starbucks Will Further Align Its Menu With 'MAHA' Initiative, RFK Jr. Says
Starbucks' top executive has agreed to further align its menu with the Trump administration’s health goals under its "Make America Healthy Again" initiative, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy, who has been examining the nation's food system to address the root causes of childhood chronic disease, said in a post on X that he met with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol on Tuesday, who "shared the company’s plans to further MAHA its menu." (Genovese, 6/19)
Stat: Whole Milk In Schools: Will MAHA Overturn A 40-Year Ban?
At a Brooklyn coffeeshop one recent rainy afternoon, the barista explained that lattes came just one of two ways: with whole milk or almond. It didn’t make sense to stock skim or reduced-fat milk when requests for those varieties are few and far between, she said — though a few months ago, she did notice a curious surge of customers asking for raw milk. “Do you know what was up with that?” (Todd, 6/20)
