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The pursuing is the transcript of an interrogation with erstwhile FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, Pfizer committee subordinate and non-executive president of the committee astatine Illumina, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected June 29, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: For a look present astatine immoderate of the changes to America's nationalist wellness policies nether the Trump administration, we're joined by erstwhile FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb, who sits connected the committee astatine Pfizer and is present the Chairman of the Board astatine Illumina. Good morning. Good to spot you.
DOCTOR SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Good morning.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, Dr. Gottlieb, you worked successful the archetypal Trump administration. This 2nd Trump medication seems precise antithetic successful its attack to nationalist wellness connected a batch of fronts. One of them was truly laid bare this week with this recently remade Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices, oregon ACIP. Secretary Kennedy had dismissed astir 17 members of the existing committee and enactment successful immoderate members of his ain choice. And successful a video, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics said national immunization argumentation is, quote, 'no longer a credible process' and it's being politicized astatine the disbursal of children. That's a beauteous stunning statement. Do you hold with the Academy of Pediatrics?
DR. GOTTLIEB: Look, you're right. I worked successful the archetypal Trump administration. I was fortunate to bash that and arrogant to service successful that administration. I deliberation we did a batch of important things connected nationalist health. We presided implicit the archetypal compartment and cistron therapy approvals. The president tried to grow entree to those treatments done the Right to Try authorities that helium championed. He supported the FDA connected an effort to effort to support baccy products retired of the hands of kids, grounds fig of generic approvals, and a batch of different accomplishments. I deliberation a batch of radical connected my broadside of the governmental aisle consciousness that a batch of these policies that Secretary Kennedy is championing are- are going to beryllium contained to vaccines and not bleed into a broader nationalist wellness doctrine. I deliberation that's not right. I deliberation there's a batch of radical present who don't deliberation these things are peculiarly political, oregon shouldn't be, and don't deliberation these decisions should beryllium politically decided, who are going to find erstwhile they spell to the doctor's bureau that vaccines that they whitethorn privation to support their lives oregon the lives of their families aren't going to beryllium available. This does look similar a governmental process close now. The caput is going aft issues that person agelong been bugaboos of him and his anti-vax group, Children's Health Defense. I don't deliberation that's mistakable astatine this point. I deliberation that helium would astir apt admit that. That he's taking connected issues that he's championed for the past 20 years to restrict entree to definite vaccines. That's going to grow. The database is growing, and it's going to commencement to beryllium precise tangible for radical and spell good beyond conscionable the COVID vaccine, which is, I think, what astir radical deliberation astir erstwhile they comprehend this administration's, oregon the secretary's efforts, to effort to restrict entree to vaccines.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So 1 of the circumstantial things from this gathering was proposal to debar flu vaccines containing an constituent called thimerosal. Right astir the aforesaid clip arsenic the meeting, the CDC removed accusation from its website that debunked claims that this constituent was linked to autism. Secretary Kennedy says it's- it's journalists who are obscuring the truth. What bash radical request to cognize astir the flu vaccine and this ingredient?
DR. GOTTLIEB: Yeah, truthful this is an aged ingredient. It's a preservative utilized successful multi-dose vials of flu vaccine, primarily. Only a precise tiny percent of flu vaccine vials inactive incorporate it. What it is is an constituent that's added to multi-dose vials due to the fact that those vials you're going to spell successful and retired of with antithetic needles arsenic you administer the vaccine to antithetic patients. So they're not azygous dose injections. They're multi-dose vials that chiefly utilized successful immoderate engaged clinics, astir exclusively successful adults close now. Back successful the aboriginal 2000s, I was astatine FDA erstwhile we reformulated the vaccine, truthful we compelled manufacturers to reformulate the vaccines to instrumentality this preservative out. Not due to the fact that we thought it was unsafe, but due to the fact that determination was a batch of consternation among anti-vax groups that they thought that determination was a nexus betwixt this constituent and autism. The constituent does incorporate tiny amounts of ethylmercury, not methylmercury, ethylmercury, which is the aforesaid benignant of mercury recovered successful fish, successful precise small- precise tiny amounts. And truthful we compelled the manufacturers to reformulate the immense bulk of vaccines, inactive 4 percent of flu vaccines that get administered, mostly to adults, are from these multi-dose vials. This has agelong been a bugaboo of the caput and his group, the Children's Health Defense Fund. In fact, the lone presumption astatine the ACIP gathering was from the caput of that group. And you're close that determination was a countering investigation from the CDC officials asserting that there's nary nexus betwixt thimerosal and autism. That- that investigation was taken down from the website. The caput enactment retired a connection that said that it wasn't- it didn't spell done due review.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're going to instrumentality a break, Dr. Gottlieb, and speech much with you connected the different broadside of this. These are analyzable issues I privation to excavation into with you. So we anticipation each of you volition enactment with us.
(ANNOUNCEMENTS)
MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome backmost to Face the Nation. We instrumentality to our speech with erstwhile FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Dr. Gottlieb, conscionable to prime backmost up, we were talking astir the gathering that took spot this past week with the recently reconstituted Advisory Committee connected Immunization. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, you cognize him, he's a doctor. He has oversight and chairs the Health Committee. He called for the gathering to beryllium canceled due to the fact that helium said there's nary CDC manager successful place. And erstwhile it comes to these appointees, helium said galore of them 'do not person important acquisition studying microbiology, epidemiology oregon immunology' and they whitethorn person 'preconceived bias' against mRNA vaccines. It's- I'm not a doctor, but it seems to maine that acquisition successful immunology would beryllium important if you're advising connected immunizations. His counsel was ignored here. Is determination immoderate cheque connected Secretary Kennedy, astatine this point? Is determination a request to get a CDC manager successful spot quickly?
DR. GOTTLIEB: Yeah, well, the CDC manager had a confirmation proceeding this week, and hopefully she'll beryllium successful spot soon. I deliberation she's rather beardown and a bully prime for that job. The board, this ACIP board, isn't afloat constituted. There's lone 7 members connected the board. At its highest membership, it has astir 15. And you're right, a batch of the radical who person been appointed don't person heavy experience, oregon immoderate experience, rather frankly, successful vaccine science. They are radical who person been ideologically aligned with Secretary Kennedy successful the past and worked with him, galore of them, not each of them. And I deliberation that that isn't thing that adjacent the caput would astir apt quality astatine this time, and it did pb to immoderate awkward moments astatine that meeting. For example, you know, 1 subordinate had to person explained to him the quality betwixt an antibody prophylaxis and a vaccine. So determination were grounds successful that treatment wherever the CDC directors had to supply some, rather frankly, remedial assistance to assistance little these members connected the ground of vaccine science. So it did show, hopefully, erstwhile they afloat represent that board, you're going to get much equilibrium connected it. I deliberation immoderate radical are skeptical. I stay hopeful that determination volition beryllium immoderate bully members that get seated eventually.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You know, 1 of the things astir the American wellness strategy is that question of continued innovation. Earlier this month, the FDA approved a doubly yearly injection of an HIV prevention cause called lenacapavir. How important is an innovation similar that, and fixed the situation you're talking about, volition these caller advisors get successful the mode of being capable to get those benignant of things to market?
DR. GOTTLIEB: Yeah, this shouldn't travel earlier ACIP. So this is simply a therapeutic. It's a agelong acting antiviral that provides six months of extortion against HIV and was highly effectual astatine preventing HIV corruption successful a colonisation that was precocious hazard of contracting HIV. So it's a alteration successful the formulation of an antiviral that allows it to beryllium administered conscionable doubly a twelvemonth and supply sustained vulnerability to the benefits of that antiviral. We're seeing a batch of innovation similar this. There was besides quality this week from a tiny biotech institution that I don't person immoderate engagement with, that they had developed a pill that could supply sustained extortion against flu. So it's an antiviral, but it is formulated successful a mode wherever it- it could beryllium administered erstwhile up of flu season, to supply extortion crossed the full season, and besides look to beryllium precise effective. So we're seeing a batch of innovations similar this. What I'm disquieted astir is innovation successful vaccine science. I enactment connected the task superior side, wherever we marque investments in- successful caller companies, and determination has been a pullback of biotech startups that person been looking to make caller vaccines, for example, vaccines for Epstein-Barr Virus, which we cognize is linked to definite B-cell lymphomas, and possibly is linked to aggregate sclerosis. That- that's a caller country of science, the imaginable to vaccinate children against that, overmuch similar we vaccinate kids against HPV close present and forestall cervical crab and different types of cancers. Maybe successful the future, we whitethorn beryllium vaccinating for EBV, but there's been a batch of pullback to that benignant of investment. So I deliberation we're going to spot little innovation successful vaccine subject arsenic a effect of the situation we're in.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Quickly, Secretary Kennedy was asked this week astir the declarations successful immoderate states to commencement removing fluoride from water. Oklahoma made immoderate moves that direction. He said you're going to spot 'probably somewhat much cavities,' but 'there's a nonstop inverse correlation betwixt the magnitude of fluoride successful your h2o and your nonaccomplishment of IQ.' What should parents beryllium reasoning astir erstwhile they perceive things similar that?
DR. GOTTLIEB: Well, look, this has been a agelong lasting issue, different contented that Secretary Kennedy has championed implicit his career, this perceived- cognition that there's a nexus betwixt fluoride and h2o and immoderate neurotoxic effects of that. That's been studied thoroughly. It's been, I think, afloat debunked. There's precise tiny amounts of fluoride successful water, and astatine the levels that it's enactment into the h2o supply, it's been demonstrated to beryllium safe. CDC's- has information showing that there's a 25% simplification successful dental caries arsenic a effect of fluoride that's added routinely to the h2o supply. It's not conscionable a question of accrued dental cavities, but besides oral wellness much generally, which we cognize is correlated to systemic health.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Dr. Gottlieb, bully to get your penetration today. We'll beryllium close back.
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