Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention immunizations chief Demetre Daskalakis said Sunday he resigned because politics has overrun science at the nation’s top public-health agency, warning he “only see[s] harm coming” under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Top Official’s Resignation Follows CDC Director’s Abrupt Ouster Turmoil
Daskalakis stepped down last week as director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases after HHS removed CDC Director Susan Monarez, a move that set off additional senior exits and condemnation from lawmakers and medical groups.
Daskalakis Says Ideology Eclipses Science At CDC
“From my vantage point as a doctor who’s taken the Hippocratic Oath, I only see harm coming. I may be wrong. But based on what I’m seeing, based on what I’ve heard with the new members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, or ACIP, they’re really moving in an ideological direction where they want to see the undoing of vaccination,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.”
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He said the line between politics and evidence has vanished. “I didn’t think that we were going to be able to present science in a way free of ideology, that the firewall between science and ideology has completely broken down. And not having a scientific leader at CDC meant that we wouldn’t be able to have the necessary diplomacy and connection with HHS to be able to really execute on good public health,” Daskalakis said.
Political Fallout Grows As Robert Kennedy Jr. Defends Changes
The shake-up followed Monarez’s ouster less than a month into her tenure. Her attorneys dispute the legality of the firing. Additional CDC leaders, including Debra Houry and Daniel Jernigan, also resigned in protest.
Kennedy has said he aims to “restore public trust in vaccines,” and his allies argue he is reconstituting advisory panels to avoid conflicts of interest. He has insisted he is not anti-vaccine, a claim pressed at his Senate confirmation hearings, according to an AP report from January.
The turmoil has drawn political fire. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) urged Kennedy’s removal over the weekend as CDC resignations mounted, while House Democrats demanded oversight.
Vaccine Stocks In Focus
Daskalakis’ warning that ideology is eclipsing science at HHS/CDC adds policy-risk overhang for vaccine makers, reinforcing investor fears that shifting guidance could curb uptake. Major vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer Inc. PFE and Moderna Inc. MRNA have been under pressure this year. While Moderna stock has tanked over 42% since the year began, Pfizer has dropped 6.95% in a similar period.
Moderna scores poorly in Benzinga’s Edge Stock Rankings, with an unfavorable price trend in the short, medium and long terms. Click here to see how it compares with Pfizer and the rest of its industry peers.
Photo Courtesy: Maxim Elramsisy on Shutterstock.com
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