Overview
- ACIP, the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, received a new charter signed March 31 and posted Thursday that directs work toward finding safety gaps, weighing cumulative effects of shots, and tracking novel platforms like mRNA.
- The charter broadens who can serve by shifting from vaccine-specific credentials to a wide mix of fields such as toxicology, biostatistics, epidemiology, and data science, with an added goal of geographic balance.
- New non-voting liaison seats go to the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, Independent Medical Alliance, Physicians for Informed Consent, and the Medical Academy of Pediatrics and Special Needs.
- A wording change noted in the renewal says members are “selected and appointed by the HHS Secretary,” a tweak critics say expands Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s direct control over appointments.
- Judge Brian Murphy’s March 16 injunction found Kennedy’s prior reconstitution unlawful and keeps many ACIP meetings and votes on hold, which leaves vaccine guidance in flux for a panel whose recommendations drive CDC policy, insurance coverage, and school requirements.