Advisory committees abolished included the NIH Center for Scientific Review Advisory Council, which was established in 1988. The Advisory Council was not responsible for reviewing grant applications; Rather, it advised NIH leaders on how to allocate research funds.
“Getting angry”
Beyond NIH, CDC eliminated nine advisory committees, including other committees such as ACIP, which were weakened. Four were terminated at the FDA.
The report finds that eliminated and otherwise underrepresented advisory committees include those that focus on childhood vaccines, inherited diseases in newborns and children, Alzheimer’s disease, health equity, health care infection control, rural health, innovative and extraordinary technologies, long COVID, and the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).
In January, HHS appointed 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, an advisory panel that monitors autism research and progress on causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. At least eight of the new members believe, as Kennedy does, the refuted claims that vaccines cause autism. In response to the appointments, autism researchers and advocates formed a competing non-governmental advisory committee to counter the misinformation anticipated from the federal panel.
At the FDA, advisory committees focused on arthritis, medical imaging drugs, pharmaceutical sciences, and patient engagement were eliminated.
Overall, the report finds that Kennedy’s attack on these expert advisory committees is weakening America’s biomedical enterprise and overall health – and this damage may be difficult to immediately repair.
“All Americans, including patients, lawmakers, and scientists, have every right to be outraged at the damage Trump has done to federal health advisory committees,” said Michael Abrams, senior health researcher at Public Citizen and author of the report. “Trump’s actions are undermining biomedical research, long-standing processes for approval of new drugs and medical devices, and federal vaccine policy. Silencing and biasing outside experts leaves HHS vulnerable to stagnation and corruption that harms the health of all Americans.”
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