RFK Jr. may stop government scientists from publishing in top journals
May 29 (UPI) -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this week that he may no longer allow government scientists to publish research in top medical journals.
Kennedy made the statement on a podcast called The Ultimate Human, on which he called the journals "corrupt" and said they were controlled by drug companies.
"We're probably going to stop publishing in The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and those other journals," Kennedy said.
All three journals are known for publishing peer-reviewed studies and are widely read by health professionals around the world.
JAMA and The Lancet each get more than 30 million visits to their websites every year. The New England Journal of Medicine reaches more than 1 million readers weekly, in print and online, The Washington Post reported.
None of the journals responded right away to Kennedy's comments.
Kennedy said he wants HHS to create its own journals instead. They would "become the preeminent journals, because if you get [NIH] funding, it is anointing you as a good, legitimate scientist."
But some public health experts strongly disagreed.
"Banning NIH-funded researchers from publishing in leading medical journals and requiring them to publish only in journals that carry the RFK Jr. seal of approval would delegitimize taxpayer-funded research," Dr. Adam Gaffney, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, told The Post.
Gaffney also warned that drug approvals rely on science. While saying it's important to guard against commercial interests, he warned that Kennedy's plans - along with funding cuts and anti-vaccine views - could hurt public health.
On the podcast, Kennedy also criticized government agencies under HHS, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health and Medicare and Medicaid offices. He described them as "sock puppets" for the pharmaceutical industry.
The podcast came out shortly after Kennedy announced his department would stop recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women, bypassing CDC guidance.
Last week, the administration also released a new "Make America Health Again" report that challenged common views in medicine, including on vaccines.
The Post said the report included misleading information and claims not backed by strong evidence.
In April, a U.S. attorney sent a rare letter to the journal Chest, questioning its editorial policies. Critics said the move threatened freedom of speech, The Post reported.
Meanwhile, NIH funding has dropped by more than $3 billion since January, and many top universities are losing out on funding for research.
Kennedy has also led a major staff reduction at HHS, with about 20,000 federal workers cut - affecting almost every part of the agency, The Post said.
The cuts and funding freezes have led some U.S. scientists to consider leaving the country for jobs elsewhere. Countries like France, Germany, Spain and China are now actively recruiting American researchers.
More information
The Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England has more about the role of journals.
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