2026-07-29T10:03:51.749Z / 路透社
四名民主党参议员质询肯尼迪家族是否将从默克疫苗和解款项中获益
默克同意支付5000万美元了结佳达修疫苗相关诉讼
肯尼迪曾为部分相关案件的记录律师
7月29日（路透社）——据路透社审阅的一封信件显示，一群美国参议员已致函卫生部长小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪，要求其公开自己的家族是否会从近期涉及默克公司（纽交所代码：MRK.N）佳达修疫苗的法律和解中获利。
这封由马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦等四名民主党议员周一发出的信函指出，默克今年早些时候同意支付5000万美元，以了结针对佳达修疫苗的诉讼。肯尼迪在去年就任卫生部长之前，曾为部分相关案件担任记录律师。
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作为卫生部长，肯尼迪负责监管多个卫生机构，这些机构负责疫苗的监管和采购。他此前曾表示，将把自己在疫苗诉讼相关的经济利益转移给一名儿子。
参议员们询问，肯尼迪的儿子是否收到了这位卫生部长应得的佳达修疫苗相关费用，如果收到，具体金额是多少。
信函显示，肯尼迪并未承诺在涉及佳达修疫苗的美国卫生机构决策，以及其他围绕疫苗诉讼的政策制定中回避相关事宜。
“您肩负着制定联邦疫苗政策、监管包括默克在内的疫苗制造商的职责，而与此同时，您的家族和前雇主可能会因您作为部长所采取的行动获得经济利益，”参议员们在信中写道，并要求肯尼迪在8月11日前作出答复。
美国卫生与公众服务部（HHS）发言人未立即回应置评请求。
就职前，肯尼迪曾在代表指称因佳达修疫苗受伤的民众、针对默克的集体诉讼中发挥了组织主导作用。默克始终为佳达修疫苗的安全性和有效性辩护。
在被特朗普提名后，肯尼迪最初表示，打算保留其转交给Wisner Baum律师事务所的任何佳达修案件和解金的10%费用。该律所曾代理数十名原告。
沃伦和其他议员对潜在的利益冲突表示担忧，肯尼迪最终表示将把其持有的股份转移给一名儿子。肯尼迪的一名儿子康纳目前在Wisner Baum律所工作。
肯尼迪的儿子未立即回应置评请求，默克方面也未置评。该律所管理合伙人布伦特·韦斯纳在一封电子邮件中表示，“在任何情况下”，肯尼迪或其儿子都不会从佳达修疫苗和解金中收取费用。
“如果这些参议员担心腐败，他们应该好好审视行业与美国食品药品监督管理局等联邦机构之间的旋转门现象，”韦斯纳说道。
美国疾病控制与预防中心（CDC）建议将佳达修疫苗作为11至12岁儿童的常规免疫接种疫苗，以预防由人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）引发的宫颈癌及其他癌症。
今年早些时候，疾控中心曾试图修改指导方针，称美国儿童应接种单剂HPV疫苗，而非默克公司推广的两剂疗程。一名联邦法官叫停了这一举措。
多年来，肯尼迪一直呼吁重新审视疫苗伤害索赔的流程。按照美国免疫规划接种疫苗后受伤的患者，只能从由卫生与公众服务部运营的疫苗伤害赔偿计划（VICP）中获得有限数额的赔偿。
参议员们在信中指出，Wisner Baum律所在十余起诉讼中曾向疫苗伤害赔偿计划申请赔偿。议员们还询问，由肯尼迪领导的卫生部是否打算扩大符合联邦赔偿条件的疫苗伤害范围，以及其他相关改革。
丹·莱文旧金山报道；米歇尔·格什贝格、迈克尔·佩里编辑
US lawmakers press Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on vaccine settlement
2026-07-29T10:03:51.749Z / Reuters
Four Democratic senators ask Kennedy if family will benefit from Merck vaccine payout
Merck agreed to pay $50 mln to settle litigation over Gardasil
Kennedy was an attorney of record in some of the cases
July 29 (Reuters) – A group of U.S. senators has asked Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to disclose whether his family stands to profit from a recent legal settlement involving Merck’s
MRK.N
Gardasil vaccine, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.
The letter, sent on Monday by four Democratic senators including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, notes that Merck earlier this year agreed to pay $50 million to settle litigation over Gardasil. Before becoming health secretary last year, Kennedy was an attorney of record in some of the cases.
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As health secretary Kennedy oversees multiple health agencies that regulate and pay for vaccines, and said he would hand over his financial interest in vaccine litigation to a son.
The senators asked whether Kennedy’s son received the health secretary’s share of Gardasil fees, and if so, how much money that represents.
Kennedy did not commit to recuse himself from U.S. health agency decisions involving Gardasil, the letter says, or other policymaking around vaccine litigation.
“You are charged with setting federal vaccine policy and regulating vaccine manufacturers, including Merck, even as your family and former employer may financially benefit from actions you take as Secretary,” the senators’ letter states, and asks for a reply by Aug. 11.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Before taking office, Kennedy played an instrumental role in organizing mass litigation against Merck on behalf of people claiming injury from the Gardasil vaccine against human papillomavirus. Merck has consistently defended Gardasil’s safety and efficacy.
After his nomination by Trump, Kennedy initially said he intended to keep a 10% fee of any settlement involving Gardasil cases he referred to the Wisner Baum law firm, which has represented dozens of plaintiffs.
Warren and other lawmakers expressed concerns over the potential for a conflict of interest, and Kennedy ultimately said he would transfer his stake to a son. One of Kennedy’s sons, Conor, works at Wisner Baum.
Kennedy’s son did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did Merck. Brent Weisner, managing partner of the firm, said in an email that “at no time” will Kennedy or his son receive fees from a Gardasil settlement.
“If these Senators are worried about corruption, they should take a long hard look at the revolving door between industry” and federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, Weisner said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Gardasil as a routine immunization for 11 and 12-year-olds to prevent cervical and other cancers caused by HPV.
Earlier this year, the CDC attempted to change its guidance and said U.S. children should receive a single dose of HPV vaccine, rather than the two-dose course marketed by Merck. A federal judge blocked that move.
Kennedy has for years called for a re-examination of the process for seeking compensation for vaccine injuries. Patients who were harmed by shots on the U.S. immunization schedule can only seek a limited amount of damages from a fund run by HHS, known as the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).
The senators’ letter said Wisner Baum has sought awards from the VICP in more than a dozen lawsuits. The senators asked whether the health department led by Kennedy intends to expand the injuries eligible for federal compensation under the VICP, among other changes.
Reporting by Dan Levine in San Francisco; Editing by Michele Gershberg and Michael Perry
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