Vaccine stocks slump after RFK Jr picked as Trump's health secretary

Drugmakers' shares slumped after RFK Jr, a vaccine sceptic, was appointed as the next US Health Secretary. How will this affect drug companies?

RFK Jr speaks with Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump
(Image credit: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Image)

Shares in big vaccine producers have slumped since Donald Trump asked Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, says The New York Times. Kennedy, known for his “divisive” views on public health, including “scepticism” about vaccines (as well as pesticides and water fluoridation) is to lead “a huge department… whose regulations affect America’s food and medicine choices”.

How could RFK Jr impact the US healthcare industry?

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Dr Matthew Partridge
Shares editor, MoneyWeek

Matthew graduated from the University of Durham in 2004; he then gained an MSc, followed by a PhD at the London School of Economics.

He has previously written for a wide range of publications, including the Guardian and the Economist, and also helped to run a newsletter on terrorism. He has spent time at Lehman Brothers, Citigroup and the consultancy Lombard Street Research.

Matthew is the author of Superinvestors: Lessons from the greatest investors in history, published by Harriman House, which has been translated into several languages. His second book, Investing Explained: The Accessible Guide to Building an Investment Portfolio, is published by Kogan Page.

As senior writer, he writes the shares and politics & economics pages, as well as weekly Blowing It and Great Frauds in History columns He also writes a fortnightly reviews page and trading tips, as well as regular cover stories and multi-page investment focus features.

Follow Matthew on Twitter: @DrMatthewPartri