(News Bulletin 247) – Donald Trump announced the appointment of Robert Kennedy Jr to head the Department of Health. This creates significant uncertainty for the pharmaceutical sector, in particular for vaccine producers.

Donald Trump continues to shape his leadership team. After announcing that Elon Musk would lead a “department of government efficiency”, the US president-elect has chosen his secretary of Health.

And to say that his profile stands out is an understatement. Donald Trump chose Robert Francis Kennedy Jr, who had given up on running as an independent candidate for the American presidential election, joining the Republican. He was credited with around 5% of voting intentions.

“I am delighted to announce the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to serve as United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. For too long, Americans have been crushed by the industrial food complex and pharmaceutical companies who have engaged in deception, misinformation and lies when it comes to public health,” Donald Trump said, on X.

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Conspiracy theories

Following his appointment, pharmaceutical groups found themselves under pressure. Sanofi dropped 2.9% around 10:30 a.m., showing the biggest drop in the CAC 40. In London, Astrazeneca lost 2.7% while in Zurich Roche fell by 2.8% and Novartis by 1.1%. On Wall Street, German vaccine maker BionTech closed down 7%.

“The appointment of Kennedy, who is a known vaccine skeptic, constitutes significant uncertainty for the pharmaceutical sector. Sanofi may decline more than the others simply because they have a vaccine activity,” explains a market specialist.

In 2023, vaccines generated 7.5 billion euros in revenue for Sanofi, or around 17.4% of the total. By the third quarter of 2024, their share of revenue had increased to 28%.

Sartorius Stedim Biotech, which designs technologies necessary for manufacturing vaccines, fell 5% on the Paris Stock Exchange, for its part. Vaccine manufacturer Valneva lost 5.2%.

Former environmental lawyer Robert Francis Kennedy Jr has spread conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines, drawing alleged links between vaccination and autism. This is despite numerous studies demonstrating that this association has no reason to exist.

“Health policy experts said a second term for Donald Trump could allow Robert Kennedy to ramp up anti-vaccine rhetoric, which could deter more Americans from receiving Covid vaccines and vaccinations from routine that, for decades, has helped save millions of lives and prevent debilitating diseases,” explains CNBC.

“I fear that he will do a lot of damage by spreading misinformation,” with an impact that would extend beyond the United States, Jayasree Iyer, general director of “Access to Medicine Foundation,” a nonprofit organization that works to improve access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries. “You want people to trust vaccines, which are both cost-effective and proven to save billions of lives,” she added.