President-elect Donald Trump has appointed Robert F Kennedy Jr, popularly known as RFK Jr, as the secretary of the premier US health agency—the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — in a move that is likely to significantly impact the healthcare sector.
The news, first reported by Politico around 30 minutes before the US markets closed on November 14, had an immediate negative impact on the share prices of several prominent vaccine makers including Pfizer, Sanofi and BioNTech. Soon after President-elect Donald Trump revealed the appointment on the social media platform X, ending speculation on RFK Jr’s role in the new administration after several days.
RFK Jr’s views on vaccine safety and stance of pushing through on thoroughly debunked claims of links to autism have been central in all discussions leading up to this news. After the US election results, the CEO of GSK, Emma Walmsley, said the sector was adopting 'a wait and see approach' to gauge impact based on who is appointed to key positions.
“Appointing RFK to the position of health secretary may have damaging implications for the US healthcare. Given his anti-vaccine rhetoric and negative comments towards the FDA, it raises questions for the future of US drug approvals and the FDA’s regulatory power, “ said GlobalData Healthcare analyst, Cyrus Fan in a statement before the news of the appointment came through.
However, in order to hold this appointment, RFK Jr will need to successfully navigate the confirmation process. The next step is for the Senate Judiciary Committee to gather evidence on the candidate, which could take approximately a month. After hearing testimonies for and against the nominee during a hearing the committee sends recommendation to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority. The Senate then votes on the nominee after a debate. In case of a tie, the vice-president, JD Vance, would hold the deciding vote.
The US Department for Health and Human Sciences (HHS) oversees several major agencies in charge of governing drugs, vaccines, medical devices and clinical research, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Additionally, the HHS department would also oversee the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which funds several research projects, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which oversees the reimbursement of drugs under the public healthcare system, and others.
In an X post announcing the appointment Trump said: “For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it comes to Public Health………HHS will play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country.”
He went on to single out RFK Jr’s plans for targeting chronic diseases - a pet project of the HHS Secretary hopeful.
