Logo Image
News|Articles|February 13, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary

Author(s)Mike Hollan

Kennedy was confirmed by a mostly party-line vote in the Senate.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services.1

The US Senate voted 52-48 in favor of Kennedy on Thursday, February 13. The vote was mostly along party lines, with Mitch McConnell being the only Republican to vote against Kennedy.

During a confirmation process that became contentious at moments, Senate Democrats questioned Kennedy on a variety of his health stances, primarily focus was on the environmental lawyer's past statements regarding vaccines. Critics of the new HHS secretary claim that he is anti-vaccine, although Kennedy has denied this.

In order to secure the necessary votes, Kennedy made certain pledges to maintain existing government vaccine programs.2 This includes an ongoing promise to meet with Republican Senator Bill Cassidy multiple times a month, Reuters reports. Cassidy is a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which voted to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the wider Senate earlier in February.

Kennedy’s nomination has drawn much interest from the pharmaceutical industry. The environmental lawyer has made multiple statements about the safety and efficacy of vaccines over the years. However, Kennedy has also made a variety of other health related statements, such as wanting to improve the quality of America’s food supply.

As Secretary of HHS, he will have authority over a variety of agencies, including FDA and the CDC. It’s unclear which areas Kennedy will focus on first, which has left many in the pharma industry uncertain about the industry’s regulatory future.

Aside from vaccines, Kennedy has also stated a desire to end DTC pharma advertising. Once again, it’s unclear when or if he will act on this intention.

Kennedy had initially run for President during the 2024 election, but eventually endorsed and campaigned for President Trump.

Sources

  1. Kennedy to take top US health job after Senate confirmation. Reuters. February 13, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kennedy-clear-final-senate-hurdle-bid-top-us-health-job-2025-02-13/
  2. Kennedy's promises on vaccines secure senior Republican senator's vote. Reuters. February 4, 2025. Accessed February 13, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/senate-panel-backs-trump-health-secretary-nominee-robert-f-kennedy-jr-2025-02-04/

Related to this article

View more
Pharmaceutical Executive Daily
Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: Nxera Licenses EP4 Agonist to AbbVie
How microgravity is opening new possibilities for drug R&D and manufacturing, a pharma funding roundup covers Boehringer Ingelheim’s up-to-$7 billion oncology licensing deal with Sino Biopharmaceutical and Nxera Pharma’s EP4 agonist deal with AbbVie, and CytoDyn’s Dr. Jay Lalezari on why Leronlimab isn’t just another repurposed drug.
Read more
The Promise of Microgravity for R&D and Manufacturing
The Promise of Microgravity for R&D and Manufacturing
As access to low Earth orbit expands, space-based research is opening possibilities in drug discovery, formulation, and manufacturing. In Part 1, the authors look at how microgravity changes biology and chemistry in ways that can’t be reproduced on Earth and where it fits from target discovery to life cycle management.
Read more