Influential vaccine advisory panel may be disbanded' after lawsuit, says former vice chair

"For more than half a century, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has informed U.S. public health policy, helping to set the country's recommended routine childhood and adult vaccine schedules. In a social media post on Thursday, Malone said that the Trump administration had made the decision to disband and recreate a new ACIP committee."

"A federal judge on Monday ruled that Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, had likely appointed 13 ACIP panelists in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which holds that such advisory groups should be fair and balanced. The ruling blocked their appointments, effectively stalling ACIP's work."

"Any new iteration of the committee must conform to the laws at issue in our case, including FACA, says Richard Hughes, a lead counsel for the AAP in its case against Kennedy. Anything short of a qualified committee selected through the proper process will meet our challenge."

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which has guided U.S. vaccine policy for over 50 years by setting recommended childhood and adult vaccine schedules, has been disbanded by the Trump administration. This action followed a federal court ruling that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. illegally appointed 13 ACIP members in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which mandates fair and balanced advisory committees. Medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, successfully challenged these appointments in court. The administration plans to recreate the committee, though any new iteration must comply with FACA requirements and proper selection procedures to withstand legal challenges.

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