Report: Pharmaceutical industry fearing possibility of Kennedy-led HHS

President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks have already promised to shake up the Washington establishment like never before, but there is one particular industry that appears to have more trepidation than almost any other.

According to the Washington Post, lobbyists representing the pharmaceutical industry are in a frenzy, hoping to gauge the potential threat posed by Trump's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., should he secure Senate confirmation.

Striking fear in the heart of big pharma

Kennedy, long known for his controversial stances on topics ranging from vaccine safety to food additives, is reportedly stoking fear among pharmaceutical executives as well as within the federal agencies with which they routinely engage.

As evidence of the fears that have emerged since Kennedy's nomination, shares in Moderna and Pfizer, the companies responsible for producing widely distributed COVID-19 vaccines, declined sharply on the news of his elevation, a trend that continued on Friday.

Though some of the major changes Kennedy would like to initiate would require action from Congress, there remains a great deal of worry in the ranks of pharma executives and lobbyists alike.

One such lobbyist told the Post that clients are saying, “Help me understand this, walk me through some of the possibilities here,” signaling the very real anxiety that Kennedy's potential presence as a force in the federal government has engendered.

Joshua Sharfstein, a former Obama-era FDA official, expressed the dread many insiders have for the idea of a Kennedy-run HHS, saying that the tasks undertaken by federal health agencies are “difficult enough without having a leader who expresses contempt for the people working day and night to keep Americans safe. The danger to the health of the American people should not be coming from inside the house”

Kennedy holds firm

Well aware of the criticisms and attacks that have -- and will continue to -- come his way, Kennedy has endeavored to offer an articulation of what he hopes to achieve as HHS secretary, as The Hill reports.

Pledging to be an “honest public servant,” Kennedy said that “we will clean up corruption, stop the revolving door between industry and government, and return our health agencies to their rich tradition of gold-standard, evidence-based science.”

Kennedy went on, “I will provide Americans with transparency and access to all the data so they can make informed choices for themselves and their families.”

Trump himself appears convinced of Kennedy's suitability for the role, declaring on X last week that “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 comes to Public Health.”

Kennedy's HHS, Trump added, would “play a big role in helping ensure that everybody will be protected from harmful chemicals, pollutants, pesticides, pharmaceutical products, and food additives that have contributed to the overwhelming Health Crisis in this Country,” but whether the Senate will grant the outspoken advocate a chance to launch his ambitious menu of reforms, only time will tell.