Executives from five major pharmaceutical companies reportedly organized an emergency meeting following Trump's election win to talk about how it will affect their business. They are particularly worried about any regulatory shakeups that could come at the behest of Kennedy, who has long been calling out federal health agencies for their failures and corruption.
Kennedy advisor and New Jersey assemblyman Jamel Holley said: “The top CEOs are in a state of panic,” adding that their teleconference focused on a new “threat environment” stemming from potential major policy shifts.
Kennedy has gone on the record as stating that he believes there are some entire departments in the FDA that need to go. In an interview with MSNBC, he stated: “In some categories … there are entire departments, like the nutrition department at the FDA … that have to go, that are not doing their job, they’re not protecting our kids.”
For example, he has pointed out that there are many discrepancies in the food safety standards seen in the U.S. and those of other countries. He used the example of all the additives used in American cereal that regulators in other countries don't allow.
“Why do we have Froot Loops with nearly 20 ingredients here when it’s only a few in Canada?” he asked.
Kennedy has also announced his intention to target corruption in federal agencies, which is a widespread problem that is impacting public health. He has devoted a big part of his career to litigating against major agencies and understands this issue very well.
“I can get the corruption out of the agencies. Once Americans are getting good science and allowed to make their own choices, they’re going to get a lot healthier,” he said.
Kennedy wants Americans to make more informed choices about their health
Another aspect of health that Kennedy is passionate about is vaccines. Through Children's Health Defense, he has been working to expose the dangers of vaccines to ensure that Americans can make more informed choices and understand the potential consequences. However, he said that he is not “anti-vaccine” and that he would not take vaccines away from Americans.
Instead, he advocated for informed consent, telling NBC News: “People ought to have choice, and that choice ought to be informed by the best information. So I’m going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them."
Kennedy said last week that Trump has assured him he will have a role in the White House but that they had not gotten into specifics. Although there has been some speculation that he may be asked to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, this would require confirmation by the Senate, which may pose a challenge. The co-chair of Trump's transition team, Howard Lutnick, has ruled out the possibility of Kennedy taking the HHS leadership role. However, there are plenty of other roles he could take on that do not require this step.
Pharmaceutical companies are clearly bracing themselves for what is to come, and their stocks dipped in early trading Wednesday as observers wondered what Trump's victory would mean for health regulations. Will Big Pharma and the FDA finally be held accountable for compromising Americans' health?
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