Richard H. Hughes, IV, Member of the Firm in the Health Care & Life Sciences practice, in the firm’s Washington, DC, office, was quoted in MedPage Today, in “HHS Withdraws New Rules for CDC Vaccine Panel,” by Terrence Rudd.
Following is an excerpt:
HHS yanked its revised charter for the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) little more than a month after the agency unveiled changes that critics warned would keep vaccine-skeptical policies and members driving the panel. ...
The fact that HHS scrapped the April charter likely signals "a willingness or even desire on the government's part to have a properly established ACIP in advance of a possible June meeting," said Richard Hughes IV, lead counsel on the American Academy of Pediatrics' lawsuit that led to the judge's order.
Even with Kennedy's ACIP appointments blocked for now by the judge's order, "the secretary retains the authority to appoint ex officio members if a quorum of voting members is unavailable to meet."
