Overview

• Paul Offit, a prominent vaccine expert and critic of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is no longer listed on the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biologics Products Advisory Committee after serving since 2017.
• An HHS spokesperson told CNN that Offit was among multiple FDA advisers whose terms expired, and a person familiar with the process said Special Government Employee renewals now require White House approval under a hiring freeze.
• Offit says FDA officials asked him to extend his term through 2027 and told him his paperwork was cleared at the agency but held up at HHS, and he received no explanation for his removal.
• The action comes after Kennedy’s June purge of all 17 members of the CDC’s ACIP and the installation of several advisers with vaccine-skeptical views, drawing criticism from medical leaders.
• Recent policy changes announced by Kennedy include narrowing COVID vaccination to higher‑risk groups and revoking Pfizer’s under‑5 EUA, while delayed ACIP recommendations have led some states to pause booster rollouts and limit pharmacists’ ability to give shots.