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Robert F Kennedy Jr says he will keep his share of any windfall from litigation against pharmaceutical company Merck even if he becomes Donald Trump’s top US health official, ethics records show.
In an ethics agreement published Wednesday, Kennedy said he would keep his share of potential profits from the case brought by law firm Wisner Baum against Merck’s Gardasil vaccine, which prevents the human papillomavirus, known as HPV.
“I am entitled to 10 percent of the fees awarded in contingency fee cases referred to the firm,” Kennedy, a co-counsel at Wisner Baum, said in a letter to the Health Department’s top ethics chief. and US Human Services. .
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic whom Trump picked as health secretary in November, said he was entitled to retain interests in cases that did not involve the US or in which the state did not have a “direct and substantial interest”.
The ethics records were released Wednesday after Mike Crapo, the chairman of the Senate finance committee, announced that Kennedy’s confirmation hearings would be held next Wednesday.
Kennedy, a scion of the famous Democratic political family, stressed that he was playing no direct role in the Merck case and vowed to avoid doing anything to influence the outcome if nominated as secretary of health and human services.
The first in a series of cases alleging that young people were injured by Merck’s vaccine is being heard this week in a Los Angeles court. Kennedy first became involved in legal efforts against Gardasil in 2018.
The former Democrat, who endorsed Trump last year after launching his own independent race for the White House, also said he would resign from his advisory role at Wisner Baum.
In separate financial records filed Wednesday with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, Kennedy disclosed $11.6 million in undisclosed income over the past two years, including $8.8 million from his work as an environmental attorney at Kennedy & Madonna . He vowed to end his role at the firm.
Kennedy was also paid $856,559 by Wisner Baum during the same period, records show. He also had small stakes in biotech Crispr Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics, according to financial disclosures.
The revelations highlight the controversy surrounding Trump’s decision to pick a vocal vaccine skeptic and activist to oversee the US health department — including its 13 divisions and agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health , which have a comprehensive impact on the regulation of medicine. in the USA.
The delay in Kennedy’s hearing, originally scheduled for this week, has been taken by some in his camp as a sign that he may struggle to win approval from the crucial health and finance committees, whose approval will be it needs before a full vote. in the Senate.
Some senators have raised questions about his record on vaccines and abortion, among other issues.
The lawsuit against Merck over Gardasil is among several high-profile anti-vaccine lawsuits involving Kennedy. Gardasil is recommended as a routine shot for 11- and 12-year-olds by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with 160 million given by the end of 2022, according to official statistics. Some high-risk types of HPV can cause cervical cancer.
Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment. Merck said: “The plaintiff’s allegations have no merit and we remain committed to vigorously defending against these claims.”
