Vaccine makers have seen their stock prices take a significant plunge after President Donald Trump named Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as his nominee to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Trump announced that Kennedy would be his incoming HHS secretary on Thursday.
“I am thrilled to announce Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS),” Trump said in his announcement.
“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.
“The Safety and Health of all Americans is the most important role of any Administration, and HHS will 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.”
Trump’s choice for Kennedy to lead HHS is part of the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
Echoing Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” slogan, Kennedy had vowed to transform federal health agencies after partnering with the incoming POTUS.
RFK Jr. has been an outspoken critic of vaccines and pharmaceutical companies.
While the news will be good for public health, it has sent shockwaves through the pharmaceutical industry.
According to Axios, BioNTech (Pfizer vaccine maker) and Novavax saw their stocks drop by 7.1% and 7.0%, respectively.
Meanwhile, Moderna’s fell by 5.6% shortly after Trump’s announcement on Thursday.
Pfizer’s stocks dropped more than 2 percent, CNBC noted.
Vaccine makers made billions in profits after manufacturing the Covid injections.
The announcement comes just over a week after Trump won back the presidency.
Kennedy joined the 2024 campaign cycle as a candidate for the Oval Office.
RFK Jr., the son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, dropped out of the presidential election in August.
After initially running as a Democrat, he later switched to an independent candidate.
Kennedy endorsed Trump shortly after suspending his campaign.
He went on to hit the campaign trail while touting his plans to “Make America Healthy Again” under a potential Trump presidency.
Kennedy joined multiple Trump campaign events in the lead-up to November 5.
He spoke at Trump’s historic Madison Square Garden rally last month, where he unleashed on the current state of the Democratic Party.
“The Democratic Party is the party of war. It’s the party of the CIA,” Kennedy warned.
“You had Kamala Harris giving a speech at the Democratic convention that was written by neocons.
“It was belligerent, pugnacious.
“It talked about domination of the world by the United States through our weapons of war.
“It’s the party today that wants to divide Americans.
“It’s a party that is dismantling women’s sports by letting men play women’s sports.
“It’s the party of Wall Street,” he said.
“It’s the party of Bill Gates, who just gave $50 million to Harris.
“It’s the party, and the Harris campaign is very proud that it received the endorsement of 50 former CIA agents and officers and of John Bolton and of Dick Cheney.”
Kennedy, who has been a key figure in the Trump campaign since endorsing him, was asked about his potential role in the next White House.
He was asked whether he would begin “clearing out the top-level federal service workers that are currently at the FDA and the CDC.”
He continued, “In some categories, their entire departments, like the nutrition department in the FDA, they have to go.
“They’re not doing their job. They’re not protecting our kids.
“Why do we have Froot Loops in this country that have 18 or 19 ingredients, and you go to Canada, and it’s got two or three?”
Trump added:
“Mr. Kennedy will restore these Agencies to the traditions of Gold Standard Scientific Research, and beacons of Transparency, to end the Chronic Disease epidemic, and to Make America Great and Healthy Again!”
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