Senate panel advances Kennedy’s nomination for HHS secretary, CNBC reports

A Senate panel has voted to advance Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services to the full chamber, CNBC’s Annika Kim Constantino reports. Kennedy is a vaccine skeptic, previously making false claims that they are linked to autism despite decades of studies that debunk that association, though during Senate confirmation hearings last week, contended that he is not “anti-vaccine,” the report notes. If confirmed by the Senate, Kennedy would oversee federal health agencies that regulate vaccines and other drugs. Publicly traded vaccine stocks include Moderna (MRNA), BioNTech (BNTX), Novovax (NVAX), Pfizer (PFE), Merck (MRK), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Gilead (GILD), and Sanofi (SNY).