### HHS Secretary Kennedy Threatens Science Publishing Freeze

In a recent appearance on the "Ultimate Human" podcast, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to halt government scientists from submitting their work to major medical journals. This move forms part of his growing dispute against institutions he claims are unduly influenced by pharmaceutical companies.

During the podcast, Kennedy labeled leading medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and The Lancet as "corrupt," suggesting that their published studies were driven by pharmaceutical funding and approvals. He declared, "Unless those journals change dramatically, we are going to stop NIH scientists from publishing in them and we're going to create our own journals in-house." Kennedy referred to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an HHS agency that stands as the world's largest funder of health research, in his remarks.

Kennedy's comments follow a major report from the White House, led by himself, which claims that the overprescription of medications could be contributing to a rise in chronic diseases in children. The report also criticizes the pharmaceutical industry’s influence and a prevailing culture of fear that stifles open inquiry into the root causes of chronic diseases. This declaration came shortly after the Department of Justice sent letters to both JAMA and NEJM investigating claims of partisanship.

The stance taken by Kennedy contrasts sharply with that of Jay Bhattacharya, the NIH director, who vocalized his support for academic freedom in a recent interview with WELT, a publication under POLITICO. Bhattacharya asserted that "academic freedom means I can send my paper out even if my bosses disagree with me."

Kennedy further criticized The Lancet’s Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton and former NEJM Editor-in-Chief Marcia Angell, referring to their past comments questioning the reliability of clinical research due to financial ties with the pharmaceutical industry. He also mentioned Horton's involvement in a 2020 controversy during the Covid-19 pandemic, during which a study linking hydroxychloroquine to increased Covid-19 deaths was retracted by The Lancet. Horton had said at the time that the journal would amend its peer review process.

Additional scrutiny is placed on The Lancet’s publication of a letter asserting that questioning the natural origin of Covid-19 was akin to endorsing conspiracy theories. This followed allegations from a Trump administration website that EcoHealth Alliance, whose president Peter Daszak signed the letter, was involved in "dangerous gain-of-function" research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, believed by President Trump to be the pandemic’s source. Consequently, Daszak and EcoHealth were barred by the Biden administration from further government funding due to non-compliance with grant protocols.

A spokesperson for JAMA declined to comment on Kennedy’s statements, and there was no response from NEJM, The Lancet, or HHS for comment requests. Meanwhile, Bhattacharya and FDA chief Marty Makary have inaugurated a new publication, the Journal of the Academy of Public Health, which aims to foster open discourse, with both currently on leave from its editorial board.