Kennedy vs. Science: Is the end of independent medicine imminent?

Kennedy vs. Science: Is the end of independent medicine imminent?

The current health and social policy of the US government under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is met with strong criticism and concerns in the scientific community. At the recent Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission at the White House, Kennedy announced a ban on scientists receiving public research funding from publishing in leading medical journals. This reports fr.de.

Kennedy, known for his controversial stance on vaccinations, which he links to autism, described prestigious journals such as the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine and Jama as "corrupt" and promised to establish his own government-published journals instead. This comes in the context of widespread layoffs and the closure of 13 of 28 Department of Health agencies, further heightening fears about a possible decline in scientific quality.

Scientific freedom in danger

Leading scientists, including Matthias Tschöp and Carsten Watzl, express grave concern about Kennedy's announcements. They warn that control over publications could jeopardize freedom of research and the integrity of health care. In the past, the volume of research funding had already fallen by more than three billion dollars under the Trump administration, which meant that undesirable research projects, such as the one received, hardly received any financial support sueddeutsche.de reported.

A key aspect of concern is the role of the pharmaceutical industry in medical research. Studies show that over 50% of peer reviewers in medical journals have received payments from pharmaceutical companies. This financial dependence could jeopardize the independence of research. Kennedy had announced that he would take action against specialist journals that, in his opinion, published “fake” science. Another problem is the concealment of potential conflicts of interest in the peer review process, which further undermines the credibility of scientific publications.

Reducing pharmaceutical influence?

Despite Kennedy's assurances that he wants to reduce the influence of the pharmaceutical lobby, it remains unclear how realistic these ideas are. In the period from 2003 to 2016, the pharmaceutical industry was fined $33 billion, but this represents less than 1.5% of its total revenues. The discussion about the topic of “disease mongering”, lobbying and illegal price fixing remains as current as it is alarming.

Overall, the developments under Kennedy are a clear signal of the challenges currently facing medical research and scientific integrity in the United States. The demand for a defense of freedom of research and teaching is being raised loudly by the international scientific community in order to ensure the continued existence of a detached and high-quality scientific debate.