Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr., who seems to be on a rampage against established science and researchers, has now announced that he will prevent federal scientists belonging to the 27 institutes and research centers of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from publishing in major medical journals, which he accuses of being controlled by pharmaceutical companies. In a podcast, he called the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and The Lancet, “corrupt” and threatened to create in-house government journals.
The three journals are among the most prestigious and influential in the world: they publish rigorously peer-reviewed articles and are considered authoritative sources by doctors, scientists, regulators and international health institutions.
“Unless those journals radically change, we will prevent NIH scientists from publishing in them and create our own journals internally,” said Kennedy, referring to the NIH, the HHS agency that is the world’s largest funder of health research.
Kennedy cited past criticisms from influential figures such as Marcia Angell, former editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, and Richard Horton, editor-in-chief of The Lancet, to argue that these journals have lost credibility. Angell inveigled against profiteering, excessive drug prices, market over research, and conflicts of interest, among other topics. Horton criticized publication bias and the lack of replication of clinical testing. His statements follow the publication of a report he led, which blames overprescription of drugs for contributing to the rise in chronic diseases in children, denouncing the pharmaceutical industry’s excessive influence on medicine.
Kennedy’s position clashes with that of NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who defends the academic freedom of scientists to publish where they see fit. Bhattacharya, along with Marty Makary, recently launched a new independent journal to promote more open debate.
The journals New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet had no comment, while JAMA said it had nothing to add.
