Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of Phoenix on August 23, 2024.
Thomas Machowitz | Reuters
Shares of vaccine makers fell on Thursday after President-elect Donald Trump named prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead vaccine development. Ministry of Health and Human Services.
Stock prices fell in the final hours of trading. report Trump’s expected election has been revealed. moderna‘s stock closed down more than 5% on Thursday. Novavax fell more than 7%, pfizer‘s stock price ended the day down more than 2%.
shares of biontechthe German pharmaceutical company that helped develop the coronavirus vaccine with Pfizer, closed more than 6% lower. British pharmaceutical company GSKThe company, which makes flu shots and several other vaccines, closed down about 2%.
Shares of these companies fell further in after-hours trading after Trump confirmed his nomination in a post on his platform Truth Social.
Health policy experts say a second term for President Trump could lead to President Kennedy elevating his anti-vaccine rhetoric, thereby saving millions of lives and reducing debilitating diseases over the decades. They say even more Americans may be discouraged from getting the coronavirus vaccinations and routine immunizations that have been used to protect against the coronavirus.
Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are still recovering from declining coronavirus vaccination rates in the U.S. that have hurt profits over the past two years.
Kennedy’s record as a vaccine skeptic is extensive. He has made misleading and false statements about the shot’s safety for years, including claiming it was linked to autism, decades before debunking that link. This is despite research.
Kennedy is the founder of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense, the nation’s most well-funded anti-vaccination group.
