RFK Jr. Makes His First Anti-Vaccine Move
The HHS secretary targets members of a CDC committee that plays a key role in vaccine approvals.
By The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 21, 2025
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been Health and Human Services secretary for all of a week, but he’s already pressing what looks like an anti-vaccine agenda. …
News reports this week say he’s preparing to sack members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. This is the group that decides whether and how to recommend vaccines for the public. Its recommendations help determine which vaccines are covered under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.
That’s the program Congress established to compensate individuals injured by vaccines. Its aim is to limit litigation against vaccine makers so they’ll take the high risk of developing them. …
Mr. Kennedy’s concern about conflicts of interest is especially striking given his own ties to trial lawyers who sue drug companies. He helped spearhead litigation against Merck over its HPV vaccine in which he had a 10% financial interest. He recently agreed to cede his stake to his son who works at the law firm, Wisner Baum, that is suing the company. …
But the Gardasil plaintiffs and trial lawyers around the country now have a very powerful friend in government who can help them. …[end quote]
RFK Jr’ s ties to trial lawyers have been widely discussed.
https://www.atra.org/2025/01/30/rfk-trial-lawyer-ties-raise-red-flags/
RFK Jr.’s Trial Lawyer Ties Raise Red Flags
In The News | American Tort Reform Association, January 30, 2025
…
As Kennedy faces Senate confirmation hearings, his past financial interests and work for profit-motivated personal injury law firms could impact his leadership and result in a more litigious HHS.
Kennedy previously was on the payroll of Morgan & Morgan, the nation’s largest personal injury firm, from 2016 to 2022 and remains co-counsel on contingency fee cases. He’s also worked closely with another prominent personal injury firm, Wisner Baum. Kennedy’s partnership with Wisner Baum includes litigation against Monsanto alleging its product, Roundup®, caused users to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a theory widely rejected by much of the scientific community, as well as litigation against Merck regarding its Gardasil vaccine. He reported $856,559 in income from his work on these and other contingency fee cases with the firm… [end quote]
This helps explain the recent fall in the price of Merck (MRK) which manufactures Gardasil. MRK historically sported a P/E ratio of about 25 but it began its fall of a P/E ratio of 13 last July.
https://invest.kleinnet.com/bmw1/stats40/MRK.html
https://invest.kleinnet.com/bmw1/stats25/MRK.html
Almost as many companies have been damaged or destroyed by trial lawyers as have been by private equity. Another current example is JNJ.
RFK, Jr has clear conflict of interest problems.
Is this a good time to buy MRK stock? Or will it be driven down by trial lawyers?
Wendy