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Robert F Kennedy Jr says he will keep his share of any prosecution against pharmaceutical company Merck even if he becomes Donald Trump’s top health official, ethics records show .
In an ethics statement released Wednesday, Kennedy said he would keep his share of potential earnings in a lawsuit brought by law firm Wisner Baum against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, which prevents the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV.
“I am entitled to receive 10 percent of the fees awarded in emergency fee cases referred to the firm,” said Kennedy, co-counsel with Wisner Baum in a letter to the top tsar at the Department of Health and Human Services. of United States Citizenship. .
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic Trump chose to be health secretary in November, he said he had the right to reserve interests in situations that did not affect the US or where the government did not have a “direct and substantial interest”.
The ethics reports were published on Wednesday when Mike Crapo, chairman of the Senate finance committee, announced that Kennedy’s confirmation hearings will be held next Wednesday.
Kennedy, a scion of a prominent Democratic political family, stressed that he played no direct role in the Merck case and vowed to avoid doing anything to undermine the outcome if elected as health services secretary and of people.
The first in a series of lawsuits accusing young people of being injured by Merck’s vaccine is being heard this week in a Los Angeles court. Kennedy first became involved in the legal effort against Gardasil in 2018.
Former Democrat, who supported Trump last year after making his commitment to the White House, he also said he would resign from his consulting role at Wisner Baum.
In separate financial statements filed Wednesday with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Kennedy disclosed $11.6mn in disclosed income over the past two years, including $8.8mn from his work as a lawyer. of environmental law Kennedy & Madonna. He vowed to end his employment at the factory.
Kennedy was also paid $856,559 by Wisner Baum during the same period, records show. He also held small stakes in biotechs Crispr Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics, according to financial filings.
The revelations highlight the controversy surrounding Trump’s decision to nominate a vocal vaccine skeptic and campaign to oversee the US health department — including divisions with its 13 agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and Drugs and Public Health Organizations, which have a major influence on drug regulation. in the US.
The delay in Kennedy’s congressional hearing, originally scheduled for this week, was taken by some in his camp as a sign that he may struggle to win approval from the key health and finance committees, which he will need their approval before a full election. in the Senate.
Some senators have raised questions about his record on vaccines and abortion, among other issues.
The case against Merck over Gardasil is among the many high-profile anti-vaccine cases Kennedy has been involved with. Gardasil is recommended as a routine jab for children aged 11 and 12 by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 160mn. announced by the end of 2022, according to official statistics. Some high-risk types of HPV can cause cervical cancer.
Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment. Merck said: “The plaintiff’s allegations are without merit, and we remain committed to vigorously defending these claims.”
