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Robert F Kennedy Jr says he will keep his share of any controversy over suing the pharmaceutical company Merck even if he becomes Donald Trump's top health official, ethics records show.
In an ethics agreement published Wednesday, Kennedy said he would retain his share of the winnings in a lawsuit brought by law firm Wisner Baum against Merck's Gardasil vaccine, which prevents the human papillomavirus, also known as HPV.
“I am entitled to receive 10 percent of the fees provided for the fees that may be sent to the firm,” said Kennedy, a consultant at Wisner Baum, in a letter to the top ethics char of the US Department of Health and Human Services. .
Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic Trump's pick for health secretary in November, he said he had the right to retain interest in situations that did not involve the US or where the government did not have a “direct and substantial interest”.
The ethics records were published Wednesday as Mike Crapo, chairman of the Senate finance committee, announced that Kennedy's confirmation hearings will be held next Wednesday.
Kennedy, the scion of a famous Democratic political family, insisted that he did not play a direct role in the Merck case and promised to avoid doing anything to change the outcome if he was nominated as secretary of health and human services.
The first in a series of lawsuits alleging that young people were harmed by Merck's vaccine is being heard this week in a Los Angeles court. Kennedy first became involved in the legal effort against Gardasil in 2018.
A former Democrat, who agreed Trump Last year after leaving the White House, he said he would step down from his consulting role with Wisner Baum.
In separate financial statements filed Wednesday with the US Office of Government Ethics, Kennedy showed $11.6 million in declared income over the past two years, including $8.8 million from his work as an environmental lawyer at Kennedy & Madonna. He promised to end his role in the company.
Kennedy was also paid $856,559 by Wisner Baum during the same period, records show. He also held small stakes in biotechs Crispr Therapeutics and Dragonfly Therapeutics, according to financial reports.
The announcement highlights the controversy surrounding Trump's decision to choose a vaccine skeptic and campaign to oversee America's health department — including its 13 departments and agencies, such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, which have a major influence on drug control. in the US.
The delay in Kennedy's congressional hearing, which was originally scheduled for this week, was taken by some in his camp as a sign that he may struggle to get approval from the key health and finance committees, which will need his approval 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 cases Kennedy has been involved with. Gardasil is recommended as a routine jab for 11- and 12-year-olds by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 160mn. distributed by the end of 2022, according to official statistics. Certain high-risk types of HPV can cause cervical cancer.
Kennedy did not respond to requests for comment. Merck said: “The plaintiff's allegations are without merit, and we remain committed to vigorously defending against these claims.”