STAT+: Doctors on Kennedy’s influential preventive care panel have major conflicts of interest, filings reveal
Federal health officials granted blanket ethics waivers to USPSTF panel members, some of whom own pharma stocks and private medical practices.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force panel, tasked with evaluating preventive medical services, has been granted blanket waivers for every member, despite some having significant financial conflicts of interest. This revelation comes from federal officials who have waived these conflicts, a decision that caught the attention of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s department.
The waivers, obtained by STAT, indicate a willingness to overlook these financial stakes, even as Kennedy has been vocal about the issue of corporate influence in healthcare. Two members, in particular, own private medical practices that could stand to benefit from the panel's recommendations, while other members have stock holdings in pharmaceutical and medical device companies, as well as employment at public research universities offering medical care. The extent of these conflicts varies among the panel's newer members.
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