Seventeen experts ousted from a U.S. government vaccine committee criticized Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s replacement of the panel with vaccine skeptics. In the New England Journal of Medicine, they decried the new panel's first meeting as a "travesty," citing disregard for scientific evidence. They proposed alternative structures for vaccine policy recommendations, including independent panels or collaboration with professional organizations, acknowledging challenges in data access and insurer coverage. Kennedy's spokesperson countered that the changes restore public trust.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.