Gottlieb Warns RFK Jr. Autism Report May Spark Lawsuits, Threaten Vaccine Supply

Former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb said an autism report that independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to release this fall will claim that aluminum adjuvants used in many childhood vaccines cause autism. Gottlieb warned that the document could spur a surge of lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Gottlieb added that, should courts or regulators require producers to drop aluminum salts, “a lot of vaccines” might have to be withdrawn because effective substitutes are not yet commercially available. Aluminum adjuvants are included in widely used vaccines such as those for hepatitis A and B, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and human papillomavirus, meaning any supply disruption could undermine routine immunization programs. Kennedy, a long-time critic of vaccine safety oversight, has repeatedly questioned the use of aluminum, thimerosal and other additives. In recent television appearances he has pledged to pursue “real science” and restore public trust in health agencies, but he has not yet released the report or disclosed the evidence it will rely on.