Advisors to anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. voted to remove federal recommendations for the MMRV vaccine without new data. A new study shows this decision disproportionately affects vulnerable US toddlers, particularly minority and low-income children, who were more likely to use MMRV.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has appointed nine new members, many with financial ties or personal promotion of peptide drugs, to an FDA advisory panel. This move comes as the panel is set to review the accessibility of these unproven drugs, despite FDA scientists' concerns about safety and efficacy.
Newly released emails show Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. requested the CDC cancel government flu shot ads less than 24 hours after being sworn in, despite assuring lawmakers he believed in vaccines. This occurred as a deadly flu virus raged, sparking controversy and leading to top CDC official resignations.
The US response to a hantavirus outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship concluded without American cases, but raised significant questions about the Trump administration's strict, unevenly applied quarantine orders, which overruled expert advice for one passenger.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. allegedly released a snake that had bitten him into a swimming pool full of children at a birthday party, according to his sister, Kerry Kennedy. She described the incident, which involved RFK Jr. stuffing the snake into a pillowcase while holding his infant son, before showing it to the children and then releasing it into the pool.
A decade after successfully fighting a DEA ban, kratom advocates are now calling for a ban on 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a potent extract with opioid-like effects. The industry faces internal friction as 7-OH products, often marketed as natural, cause withdrawal and overdoses, threatening the broader kratom market.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed his public calendar refutes a NYT report on his disengagement, but his calendar is not publicly available. Journalists and lawmakers have faced difficulties obtaining information from his department, contradicting his transparency promises.
Medical groups are alarmed after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired two leaders of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a panel recommending preventive care coverage. Doctors fear politicization and loss of access to vital services.
The American Psychiatric Association says too few patients can access comprehensive mental health care in the United States. It welcomes new investments in improving access to evidence-based care.
Kennedy has made—and continues to make—many false claims about SSRIs.
The European Commission has authorized Moderna's mCOMBRIAX (mRNA-1083), the world's first combination vaccine for flu and COVID-19, following positive EMA review. The Phase III trial showed superior immune responses in adults 50+. Meanwhile, Moderna withdrew its US FDA application in 2025 and faces obstacles under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s administration, which canceled grants and created regulatory uncertainty.
Sen. Bernie Sanders confronted Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a Senate hearing over his rejection of germ theory, the scientific foundation that specific pathogens cause specific diseases. Kennedy defended his fringe view promoting terrain theory over germ theory, citing studies arguing vaccines did not significantly reduce mortality. Sen. Bill Cassidy fact-checked Kennedy by reading from the same studies Kennedy cited, showing they actually credited vaccines with eliminating deaths from diphtheria, pertussis, measles, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would support a potential ban on junk food television advertisements in the U.S., aligning with surgeon general nominee Casey Means. The proposal, discussed at a Senate HELP Committee hearing, would target the $14 billion annual food advertising industry, with over 80% promoting unhealthy foods.
She's well qualified but will need to navigate RFK Jr.'s anti-vaccine agenda.
Hims may have a chance to grow peptides business as a potential revenue driver, with FDA review in 2026 shaping the opportunity.
