Kennedy revamps vaccine-panel charter to stress safety risks amid court fight

After a court ruling paused Kennedy’s overhaul of the ACIP, the HHS-signed charter updates broaden the panel’s mandate to include vaccine safety risks and research gaps, expands membership expertise to include toxicology and vaccine-injury recovery, and allows non-voting liaisons from groups skeptical of vaccines. The changes come as Kennedy, who previously fired ACIP members, seeks to align policy with his anti-vaccine views; critics say the move advances “junk science” while HHS calls it a routine renewal. The charter also tasks ACIP with evaluating international vaccination schedules and enhancing safety surveillance.