AMCP Urges Secretary Kennedy to Reinstate ACIP Members

Political Move Erodes Public Health Infrastructure and Patient Safety

June 11, 2025—Alexandria, Va. The Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) issued the following statement regarding the removal of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) members by Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Removal of all members of ACIP at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) is nothing short of alarming. Vaccines are a vital component of American public health infrastructure, and their safety and efficacy is well-established by reliable clinical evidence. Pharmacists, including AMCP members, provide patients with vaccines that prevent serious illness, hospitalizations, and even death. In many states, pharmacists’ ability to administer these life-saving vaccines are tied to ACIP recommendations.

Contrary to Secretary Kennedy's explanation that that their removal was necessary to “re-establish public confidence in vaccine science,” this move further politicizes the subject by turning a nonpartisan scientific body into a partisan political committee. Replacing these trustworthy experts before the expiration of their terms risks causing severe public doubt about ACIP’s decision-making. As a result, health payers, including plans and pharmacy benefit managers, may lose confidence in ACIP’s recommendations, and patients may be unwilling to receive vaccines.

Patient safety is the most important consideration in health care and managed care pharmacy. The removal of the ACIP members erodes patient safety and we urge Secretary Kennedy and HHS to immediately remedy this error and depoliticize health care.

About AMCP  

AMCP is the professional association leading the way to help patients get the medications they need at a cost they can afford. AMCP’s diverse membership of pharmacists, physicians, nurses, biopharmaceutical professionals, and other stakeholders leverage their specialized expertise in clinical evidence and economics to optimize medication benefit design and population health management and help patients access cost-effective and safe medications and other drug therapies. AMCP members improve the lives of nearly 300 million Americans served by private and public health plans, pharmacy benefit management firms, and emerging care models. Visit www.amcp.org.