The news: The head of HHS, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will testify at a Senate hearing next week following senior leadership firing and resignations at the CDC.

Catch up quick: After President Trump fired CDC director Susan Monarez this week, at least four senior agency leaders, including the chief medical officer, resigned in solidarity.

• Monarez was approved by the Senate in late July, and quickly clashed with Kennedy on vaccine policy, per Reuters. She was fired after she wouldn't agree with the vaccine recommendations from Kennedy's new, handpicked review panel.
• The CDC leadership departures landed on the same day Kennedy narrowed approval of new COVID-19 vaccines for the first time, limiting them to people ages 65+ or those with underlying health conditions. Yesterday, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) called for a postponement of the next vaccine advisory panel meeting in September, citing the CDC leadership exodus and turmoil.

Why it matters: The CDC leadership loss of career physicians and scientists leaves a void for public health misinformation. Kennedy will likely face intense Senate questioning about the departures, as well as his ongoing vaccine rhetoric and his slow response to the recent CDC shooter attack.

Our first take: The CDC is responsible for public health protection, but without objective science-based leadership and guidance, misinformation and intentional disinformation will surge. Healthcare and pharma companies need to step up and push back with public messaging in coordination with trusted physicians and medical influencers.

This is our immediate perspective. We’re actively developing this story throughout the day with more research and data from the EMARKETER database. Our in-depth analysis will be included in our client-only Briefings. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.

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