RFK Jr. adopts CDC panel recommendation to remove thimerosal from flu shots

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday endorsed a federal advisory committee’s recommendation to remove a contested preservative from the few influenza vaccines that currently contain it.

Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who Kennedy hand-picked earlier this year voted last month to remove thimerosal from flu shots, elevating unproven theories the preservative causes developmental harm in children.

In a statement, HHS said Kennedy’s action fulfills “a commitment to restore trust with Americans by removing risk while sustaining access to vaccines.”

Typically, the CDC director signs off on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP. The role remains unfilled, however, passing the responsibility to Kennedy.

The move will affect several multi-dose vaccines that are currently marketed in the U.S., including Sanofi’s Fluzone and shots from CSL Seqirus. Preservatives are used in multi-dose vials to prevent bacterial contamination. About 5% of flu shots administered in the U.S. involve these preparations.

HHS said vaccine manufacturers confirmed they have the capacity to replace the multi-dose vials.

Thimerosal was introduced as a preservative in the 1930s. It contains mercury, but is metabolized into a form, called ethymercury, that’s distinct from the methymercury form found in some fish and considered an environmental toxin.

The preservative has for years been targeted by the anti-vaccine movement. In 1999, medical groups and the CDC requested vaccine manufacturers remove thimerosal from their shots as a precautionary measure. It was removed from all routine childhood vaccines in 2001.

Removal of the preservative, however, can affect vaccine access and cost, particularly in developing countries.

Despite evidence thimerosal is safe at small levels, the ingredient has remained under fire. During the ACIP meeting in June, Lyn Redwood, president emeritus of the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense, gave a presentation that rehashed animal and human cell studies on thimerosal. Initially, it had also referenced a study that does not exist, but the citation was later removed.

The committee recommended thimerosal-free shots for children, pregnant women and adults, in a series of 5-1 votes. The committee also unanimously voted to recommend annual flu shots in everyone aged 6 months and older.

Kennedy has not signed off on the annual flu recommendation, however. HHS said other recommendations made by the committee in June are “currently under review.”

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