‘They’re all corrupt!’: RFK Jr. threatens to pull government scientists from top medical journals

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Health Secretary, has made serious accusations against top medical journals, saying they are “corrupt” and controlled by the pharmaceutical industry. He warned that he might stop government scientists from publishing their work in these journals, including The Lancet, the New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA. This strong statement comes after the release of a White House report.

Kennedy himself led this report, which looks into whether overprescribed medications are connected to an increase in childhood chronic illnesses. The report suggests that too much influence from the pharmaceutical industry and a culture of fear have stopped researchers from studying the real causes of these diseases. This claim comes at a time when both JAMA and the NEJM are being investigated after the Department of Justice sent them letters asking about possible political bias, per Politico.

On the “Ultimate Human Podcast with Gary Brecka,” Kennedy said, “We’re probably going to stop publishing in the Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and those other journals because they’re all corrupt.” Kennedy’s accusation that the journals are “corrupt” is based on his belief that they publish research distorted by drug company funding.

RFK Jr. is now after medical journals

RFK Jr pointed to past comments by well-known figures in medical publishing, including The Lancet’s Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton and former NEJM editor-in-chief Marcia Angell, who have both raised concerns about whether some studies can be trusted and how drug company money affects published research.

Kennedy also criticized Horton for handling a 2020 controversy involving the removal of a study that claimed hydroxychloroquine increased COVID-19 deaths. He also criticized The Lancet for publishing a letter that called questions about the origins of COVID-19 conspiracy theories. He has told the public to downplayed Measles, but attack a medical journal is a big step.

His threat to block government scientists from submitting work to these journals is a major escalation. He suggested that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) could start its own journals as an alternative place for government-funded research to be published. This move would directly challenge the traditional system of peer-reviewed medical publishing.

However, this position goes against what Kennedy’s NIH director, Jay Bhattacharya, has said. Bhattacharya has publicly ed academic freedom, saying researchers should be allowed to publish their findings even if their bosses disagree. This difference of opinion between the Health Secretary and his NIH director shows there may be a conflict within the istration over how scientific research should be shared.

In response to Kennedy’s claims, JAMA did not comment. The Lancet and the NEJM also did not respond to requests for comment, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stayed silent as well. The lack of official responses from these groups means the effects of Kennedy’s statements and how they might change scientific publishing are still unclear.