EU pharma under pressure with appointment of no-vax Kennedy Jr. to US health care

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - Pharmaceuticals sector in the grip of depression on European stock exchanges, in reaction to theappointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the next US health minister. Especially companies producing vaccines are losing ground, given Kennedy's known no-vax positions. In Paris they are Sanofi-Aventis , Valneva and Sartorius Stedim, with German parent Sartorius. In London Gsk and Astrazeneca. In Copenhagen Novo Nordisk and Zealand Pharma. Bavarian Nordic, on the other hand, fell -14%, but also due to below-expected quarterly accounts. In Stockholm, Swedish Orphan Biovitrum sank. The reaction of Italian companies in the Recordati and Diasorin sectors was much more restrained.

The choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head the Department of Health and Human Services is one of the most controversial appointments by President-elect Donald Trump, who has not failed to bluntly express his views on the pharma industry. 'For too long, Americans have been crushed by the agribusiness complex and pharmaceutical companies that have engaged in deception, misinformation, and misinformation about public health,' Trump wrote on X, declaring himself 'thrilled' with the nomination of Kennedy Jr. The future minister, an ex-Democrat as in the family tradition, had stood as an independent in the presidential election only to withdraw in favour of Trump, who promised to reward him with an appointment in the Administration, as in fact happened.

Kennedy, known for his stance against vaccines and restrictions against Covid and for his repeated criticism of the pharmaceutical industry, will head a department that has a budget of over $1.7 trillion and has a strong influence on drug regulation and public health in general. The ministry has supervision over key federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Kennedy,' Trump said, 'will return these agencies to the traditions of the gold standard of scientific research, make them beacons of transparency, end the epidemic of chronic disease, and make America great and healthy again'. Kennedy responded to the President, in turn, on X, stating that he looked forward "to working with the Department's more than 80,000 employees to free the agencies from the suffocating cloud of the 'corporate' world so they can pursue their mission of making Americans the healthiest people on Earth once again. Kennedy's appointment also left a heavy mark on Wall Street yesterday, where Pfizer lost 2.6%, Eli Lilly 3.1% and Moderna 5.6%.