News

HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Says He’ll Ban Agency Scientists From Publishing Findings In Prestigious Medical Journals

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatened to prohibit government scientists from publishing in the three most prominent medical journals globally.

On Tuesday, Kennedy spoke on the Ultimate Human podcast, where he declared the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and The Lancet are corrupt. He argued that the journals all have connections to the pharmaceutical industry, where companies fund and approve articles for publication. There is no evidence that the journals allow funders to approve articles.

Kennedy recently ordered the CDC to stop recommending that water be fluoridated, a move that has been met with controversy.

Kennedy has stated that he intends to stop National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists from publishing in the three journals unless they implement significant changes. The NIH is an HHS organization that provides the largest amount of funding for medical research. Kennedy has stated that he intends for the HHS to create its own journals for the scientists to publish in instead.

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Kennedy has declared that the heads of the journals don’t believe their own publications to be trustworthy anymore. Kennedy seems to be referring to statements made in 2009 and 2015 by The Lancet Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton and NEJM former editor-in-chief Marcia Angell. In the statements, Angell had said that pharmaceutical companies often funded clinical research, while Horton expressed concerns about research findings not being replicable.

Kennedy’s threats were made a few days after Kennedy issued a report that stated the increase in chronic diseases found in children came from medications being excessively prescribed. The report claims that the involvement of pharmaceutical companies in the medical world has led doctors and scientists to stop investigating the causes of chronic diseases. The report also suggests that doctors and scientists are hesitant to speak out against these companies.

JAMA and NEJM have recently received letters from the Department of Justice questioning whether they are promoting a partisan agenda.

Sherry Chen

Share
Published by
Sherry Chen

Recent Posts

Despite Claims Of Going After ‘Worst Of The Worst,’ Only 6% Of ICE’s Migrant Arrests Were Convicted Of Serious Crimes

Since taking office in January, the Trump Administration has largely fallen behind on its goal…

2 hours ago

Supreme Court Ruling Allows Trump Administration To Proceed With Mass Layoffs At Federal Agencies

The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court order that blocked President Donald Trump's executive…

4 hours ago

Republicans Hid $3.8 Trillion Cost Of Trump’s Budget Bill Using Controversial ‘Fake Math’ Accounting Gimmick

Senate Republicans approved the use of a “current policy baseline” as part of President Donald…

6 hours ago

Trump Say He Would Have Taken A Different Approach Than Elon Musk To DOGE Cuts

President Donald Trump praised the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but suggested…

8 hours ago

Judge Rules Trump’s Efforts To Cancel Hundreds Of DEI-Base Research Grants Are Illegal: ‘Have We No Shame?’

A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump's attempts to cancel several hundred National Institutes…

1 day ago

Paramount Settles With Trump For $16M Over Accusations Of ‘Distortion’ Favoring Kamala Harris, Critics Call It ‘Extortion’

Paramount and President Donald Trump agreed to a $16 million settlement regarding how an interview…

1 day ago