Vaccine stocks are tumbling on news of RFK Jr. nomination to lead HHS
Vaccine makers saw their stocks dip on Thursday following the news that President-elect Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Kennedy is known for many things, including being a staunch vaccine skeptic. On no other news, stock prices for Moderna and Pfizer, the two companies that make the Covid-19 vaccine, fell 5.6% and 2.6%, respectively. Novavax, which makes a different kind of Covid-19 vaccine, is down 7%.
Kennedy, who ran an unsuccessful campaign as a third-party candidate, is the founder of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, an organization lobbying against vaccines and fluoridation of tap water, among other issues. As head of HHS, Kennedy would be in charge of an agency that typically gives government contracts to vaccine makers.
Scientists, including those at HHS, overwhelmingly agree that vaccines on the market are safe and effective at stopping the spread of disease.
I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and drug companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation, and disinformation when it…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 14, 2024