Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces the future of his campaign in Phoenix, Arizona, United States on August 23, 2024.
Thomas Machovich | Reuters
Shares of vaccine makers fell Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump was elected Nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, will lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
Stocks fell in final hour of trading Report Concerns about Trump’s expected choices emerged. modernThe company’s shares closed down more than 5% on Thursday Novavax The decline exceeds 7% and PfizerShares closed down more than 2%.
shares BiotechnologyThe German drugmaker, which is working with Pfizer to develop a coronavirus vaccine, closed down more than 6%. british drug maker GSKThe company, which makes flu shots and several other vaccines, closed down about 2%.
Shares of the companies fell further in after-hours trading as Trump confirmed his choice in a post on his platform, Truth Social.
Health policy experts say a Trump second term could allow Kennedy to elevate anti-vaccination rhetoric, which could prevent more Americans from receiving the COVID-19 shots and routine immunizations that have saved millions over decades human life and prevent debilitating diseases.
Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax are still recovering from a drop in U.S. coronavirus vaccination rates that has dented their profits over the past two years.
Kennedy’s record as a vaccine skeptic is extensive. He has a long history of making misleading and false claims about the safety of injections, such as claiming they are linked to autism, despite numerous studies dating back decades debunking that link.
Kennedy is the founder of the nonprofit Children’s Health Defense Organization, the most well-funded anti-vaccination group in the United States.
