The decision could negatively impact patients with rheumatic and autoimmune diseases.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to dismiss all 17 members of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices "undermines scientific integrity" and may endanger patients, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

"The removal of the ACIP members is a deeply troubling decision," Christina Downey, MD, chair of the ACR's government affairs committee, told Healio. "It undermines the scientific integrity and independence of the committee, and threatens to politicize a process that has traditionally been nonpartisan and evidence based."

In response to the dismissal, the ACR and 20 other rheumatology professional organizations from across the United States, including the Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc., signed a letter calling on Kennedy to "immediately reinstate the previously terminated members of ACIP."

The letter additionally stresses the "critical role" the ACIP plays in protecting patients who are immunocompromised and require rheumatological care.

"Removing the experts from the ACIP panel makes little sense to us and may result in poorer protection from potentially fatal diseases for the immunocompromised population, resulting in death," Kathleen A. Arntsen, president and CEO of Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc., told Healio. "Therefore, we are strongly opposed to the recent decision to dismiss members of ACIP and stand with the ACR and the state rheumatology societies in urging Secretary Kennedy to reverse his decision and reinstate them."

The consequences of the removal of the ACIP membership could be "serious and wide-ranging," according to Downey.

"Reduced quality of vaccine guidance may lead to inappropriate immunization strategies for immunocompromised patients," she said. "Increased vaccine hesitancy could arise if recommendations are perceived as politicized or not grounded in science."

Uncertainty regarding vaccine guidance among insurers and providers, particularly for vaccines that are not universally recommended, could result in coverage gaps, Downey added.

"Ultimately, patients with autoimmune diseases may face higher risks of preventable infections, leading to avoidable hospitalizations, complications, or even death," she said. "The risk is not hypothetical. With vaccine-preventable diseases like measles already resurging, weakening the ACIP's ability to respond could have immediate and dangerous consequences."

The importance of the ACIP panel, and its role in maintaining trust in vaccine guidelines, cannot be overstated, according to Downey.

"The ACIP has, for more than 50 years, served as a cornerstone of the nation's public health infrastructure," she said. "ACIP's work shapes vaccination schedules, guides health insurance coverage and protects the population against vaccine-preventable diseases. Its independence, scientific rigor and transparency have been essential to maintaining trust in the vaccination process."

For vulnerable patients with autoimmune and rheumatic diseases specifically, the ACIP's work is critical in guiding clinicians to safe and effective vaccination regimens, Downey added.

"These individuals are frequently immunocompromised, either from the disease itself or from treatments involving immunosuppressive drugs," she said. "This places them at heightened risk from infections that are otherwise preventable with vaccines. Clinicians depend on ACIP's expert guidance to determine the safest and most effective vaccination protocols for these vulnerable patients."

This includes individuals with lupus.

Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc., is a national patient-led organization that represents people struggling to manage their complex medical conditions on a daily basis, according to Arntsen.

"We know firsthand as individuals with lupus and/or other autoimmune diseases, who are either taking immunosuppressants and/or have compromised immune systems from our conditions, how important vaccines and the research that is done to develop them are," she said. "Equally important is the FDA approval process and treatment guidance developed by experts using a transparent and science-driven process for guiding national immunization practices."

These individuals rely on experts at the highest levels of government oversight to keep their best interests in mind, Arntsen added.

"Knowing that there are experts making those decisions, such as the members of the ACIP at the CDC, assures us of the safety and efficacy of immunizations and helps to guide our physicians' vaccine treatment decisions," she said. "Having the most qualified and credible ACIP members is critical to our well-being and that of all vulnerable Americans."

Downey suggested several actions physicians and other rheumatology professionals can take to help support the preservation of expert-driven immunization policy. These include direct engagement with HHS and CDC leadership, and requesting public clarification of the removal process and the reinstatement of the removed ACIP members.

"Coalition building with other medical and patient advocacy organizations can amplify concerns and present a unified voice," she added.

Congressional inquiry or oversight to investigate the circumstances behind the mass dismissal, and to ensure transparency in the process, could also be a positive step toward restoring the ACIP members, according to Downey.

"The termination of ACIP members could create a vacuum of expertise that could weaken the nation's ability to respond effectively to both current and emerging infectious disease threats," she said. "We encourage you to support and engage with state and regional vaccine advisory panels, as they are created to fill the expert leadership vacuum."

This type of action is particularly critical at this moment, given HHS's recent decision to terminate all 22 mRNA vaccine development programs under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Downey added.

"At a time when vaccine preventable diseases are reemerging, disbanding or politicizing expert immunization panels is a step in the wrong direction," Downey said. "The decision by HHS to shut down 22 mRNA vaccine programs, along with the heightened scrutiny of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, are additional troubling signs of a shift away from science-driven vaccine policy.

"Rheumatologists and patients with rheumatologic diseases depend on clear, science-based, and trusted vaccine guidance," she added. "The American College of Rheumatology and its partners remain committed to working with HHS to ensure that ACIP remains an independent, expert-led body that puts the health and safety of patients first."

ACR letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.; Published July 31, 2025; Accessed Aug. 1, 2025: https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/assets/bltee37abb6b278ab2c/blt5f78ff4109381fc6/advocacy-letter-state-medical-society-sign-on-letter-reinstatement-acip.pdf.