Why Is the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Allowed to be Packed with People Who Profit from Vaccine Sales?

The foxes thrive in this henhouse. CDC acts like they have it under control. Perhaps they do, but not in the way any ethical analysis would say is proper. Make this go viral.

A community member did most of the legwork on finding the data for this report. We would like to credit her, but she is concerned about retaliatory job loss. The email exchanges following were provided by Elizabeth Hart (see more information at the end of the article).

PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES AND WIDELY ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND TAG THEM.

STATNEWS recently published the news that the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), has filled recently vacated seats:

“The Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that it is filling eight vacancies, including the chairmanship, on an important advisory panel on vaccine policy that was down to less than half of its normal roster for months.

It’s still not clear why so many positions were left unfilled on the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. STAT reported on the vacancies, which had flummoxed public health experts in the country, last week.”

We had previously found that every single member of the committee, except the member representing the Department of Defense, had serious conflicts of interest with vaccine manufacturers.

ACIP is responsible for making “recommendations” for additions to the CDC’s already packed schedule of pediatric vaccines. In the past, they have approved vaccines with no discussion of safety until after the vote, and the pattern of behavior and operations of the committee appears to be that “competitors” in the vaccine market recommend each others’ vaccines to help open markets for the vaccines they have in the queue.

Cozy.

The STATNews article listed four persons who were scheduled to be added to the ACIP roster. So we looked into their history of payments from vaccine manufacturers.

These are the results.

1. Edwin Asturias

$86,000+ going back to 2014 from  Janssen, Takeda, Sanofi Pasteur, and GlaxoSmithKline.

PROPUBLICA ENTRY: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/571056/year/2014

2. Yvonne (Bonnie) Maldonado, Pediatrics, Stanford

2022

$8400              Payments from Pfizer

$3200               Research funding from Pfizer

$2,587,707.01 “Associated research funding" from Pfizer

2021

$3,200              Payments from Pfizer

$1,026,478.11  “Associated research funding” from Pfizer

2020

$69,168.53       “Associated research funding” from Pfizer

2019

$4,812.27   Payments from Pfizer

2018

$7,120.57    Payments from Pfizer

2017

$6,132.64    Payments from Pfizer

2016

$7,840.08    Payments from Pfizer

OPENPAYMENTS ENTRY:

https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/112408

This is on top of an additional $23,000+ going back to 2013, mostly from Pfizer, but also some from Merck and Novartis.

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/112408/year/2015

3. Helen Chu

2022

$2,700 Payments from Abbvie

2020

$700 Payments from Pfizer

2019

$4,899 Payments from Merck

2016

$60,000 “grant” from Pfizer

OPENPAYMENTS ENTRY

https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/760992

4. George Kuchel, Geriatrics, U. Connecticut

2021

$1,360    Payments from Novo Nordisk AS

2019

$13,305.87       Payments from Janssen

$4,494,40          “Associated research funding” from Novartis

OPENPAYMENTS ENTRY:

https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/984851

5. Robert Schechter, CA Dept of Public Health

Robert has nothing listed on open payments, which is required, but there is this: 

NVAC [National Vaccine Advisory Committe] Public Member | Term: 2/12/2020 - 2/11/2024

“Dr. Schechter has been a medical officer with California Department of Public Health (CDPH), Immunization Branch since 2003. Dr. Schechter has worked in several disciplines, including immunization program implementation and management, vaccine safety and post-marketing surveillance, vaccine communication, health information technology and Immunization Information Systems, and vaccine research and development. Dr. Schechter has had managerial and consultative roles for CDPH’s immunization programs, amongst the nation’s largest, including the California Vaccines for Children Program, annually supporting 10 million eligible children, the CDPH’s annual supply of >0.5 M doses of influenza vaccine for local health departments and community partners, and the federal 317 vaccine for immunization of the uninsured.  Dr. Schechter is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics.”

https://www.hhs.gov/vaccines/nvac/members/robert-schechter/index.html

His research works: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Robert-Schechter-39229499

6. Albert Shaw, Infectious Diseases, Yale School of Medicine

2022

$2,590             Payments from Boehringer IngelheimPharmaceuticals

2019

$1,425.71       Payments from GlaxoSmithKline

His research: https://medicine.yale.edu/internal-medicine/profile/albert-shaw/?tab=research

What Does CDC Say About ACIP COIs?

Another community member had, a few years back, inquired of the muddiness of COIs among ACIP members…

“Hi All, for those interested in conflicts of interest, FYI, see below my correspondence from 2013/2014 unsuccessfully trying to get more clarity on this matter re the ACIP...  

Also FYI, see this webpage re the ACIP Members Roster Archive, note that it only goes back to 2010/2011...  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/members/members-archive.html

Also see article attached: Immunization Policy Development in the United States: The Role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Elizabeth

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Smith, Jean Clare (CDC/OID/NCIRD) <jis6@cdc.gov>
Date: Sat, Feb 22, 2014 at 7:43 AM
Subject: RE: ACIP / Potential 'conflicts of interest' register
To: eliz.hart25@gmail.com <eliz.hart25@gmail.com>

Dear Ms. Hart:

Thank you for your inquiry regarding the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP).

ACIP members are screened rigorously for conflicts of interest. ACIP members are required to submit financial disclosure in the form of Office of Government Ethics (OGE) 450 forms (U.S. Office of Government Ethics - OGE Form 450: Confidential Financial Disclosure Report) at the time of their appointment and annually thereafter; and are required to report any changes that occur in the course of their 4-year terms. The OGE-450 is reviewed by CDC ethics officers, and questions may be referred to CDC legal counsel. Information contained in the OGE-450 is confidential. However, in addition to this screening, ACIP members are required to disclose any conflicts of interest at the start of each public ACIP meeting, and again prior to any vote being taken. These conflict of interest declarations are captured in detailed meeting minutes, which are posted on the CDC/ACIP website at http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/meetings-info.html .

Attached is an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2009, which includes a detailed discussion of conflict of interest screening of ACIP members (pp 46-47).

Liaison representatives do not vote and are therefore not required to submit financial disclosures to CDC. Ex officio members, who represent other U.S. Government agencies, undergo conflict of interest screening as federal employees by their agencies.

The information sent to you by Ms Betancourt stating that “ACIP is updating the website to include conflict of interest information along with detailed information regarding the nomination process” refers to more detailed information that will be posted about how ACIP members are screened for conflicts of interest.

_____________________

Jean Clare Smith, MD, MPH 

Medical Officer, Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices| National Center for Immunization & Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention | 1600 Clifton Rd, NE - Mailstop A-27, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA |office 1-404-639-6227  cell 1-404-317-5585 | ACIP web site: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/

From: Elizabeth Hart [mailto:eliz.hart25@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2014 6:37 PM
To: Temte Jon L
Cc: Brian Martin; Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (CDC)
Subject: ACIP / Potential 'conflicts of interest' register

For the attention of: 

Professor Jonathan Temte

Chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Professor Temte

Further to my email to you dated 15 September 2013, enquiring whether a 'conflicts of interest' register for ACIP members (plus Ex Officio members and Liaison Representatives) is available for public perusal, including details of relationships with the vaccine industry, e.g. consultancies, research grants, honorariums etc.

On 24 September 2013, Felicia Betancourt advised me that "currently the ACIP is updating the website to include conflict of interest information along with detailed information regarding the nomination process".  (Refer to email below).

As nearly five months have elapsed since my initial enquiry to you on this matter, can you please advise if a register of conflict of interest information is now accessible for public perusal?

Regards

Elizabeth Hart

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (CDC) <acip@cdc.gov>
Date: Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 6:47 AM
Subject: RE: ACIP / Potential 'conflicts of interest' register
To: Elizabeth Hart <eliz.hart25@gmail.com>
Cc: "Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (CDC)" <acip@cdc.gov>, Brian Martin <bmartin@uow.edu.au>, "jon.temte@fammed.wisc.edu" <jon.temte@fammed.wisc.edu>

Dear Elizabeth Hart,

Thank you for contacting the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)!

Please be advised that currently the ACIP is updating the website to include conflict of interest information along with detailed information regarding the nomination process.

Can you please check back with us at acip@cdc.gov in 2 weeks when we anticipate this information being posted to the website?

Thank you for your interest!

Regards,

FELICIA BETANCOURT

Committee Management Specialist (CMS), MPS CTR

Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)

Office of the Director (OD)

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD)

Office of Infectious Diseases (OID)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

1600 Clifton Road NE

M/S A-27

Atlanta, Georgia 30333

404-639-8694 (office)
404-719-7336 (mobile)

fbetancourt@cdc.gov (e-mail)

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/meetings-info.html (ACIP website)

From: Elizabeth Hart [mailto:eliz.hart25@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2013 10:46 PM
To: jon.temte@fammed.wisc.edu
Cc: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (CDC); Brian Martin

Subject: ACIP / Potential 'conflicts of interest' register

For the attention of: 

Professor Jonathan Temte

Chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Professor Temte

I am undertaking independent research on vaccines.

I am interested in the membership of the US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), plus Ex Officio members and Liaison Representatives, and whether any of these people have relationships with the vaccine industry, e.g. consultancies, research grants, honorariums etc.

Can you please advise if a potential 'conflicts of interest' register is available for public perusal?

I would appreciate your response on this matter.

Sincerely

Elizabeth Hart

____________________________________________________________________

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____________________________________________________________________”

Elizabeth Hart who provided the email thread is an independent researcher investigating the vaccine industry and conflicts of interest in vaccination policy

https://vaccinationispolitical.net/