FDA Removes Autism Cure Warnings as RFK Jr. Appoints Promoters to Key Committee
In a controversial move, the Food and Drug Administration has quietly taken down a webpage that warned parents about fraudulent and potentially dangerous autism cures. This action coincides with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nominating individuals who have promoted these same unproven treatments to a federal advisory committee. The developments mark a significant shift in the government's approach to autism policy under Kennedy's leadership.
Reorienting Federal Autism Priorities
Kennedy's appointments to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee represent part of his broader effort to redirect federal policy toward investigating what he describes as an autism "epidemic" and "fighting" a condition he claims "destroys families." These actions fulfill campaign promises Kennedy has long advocated, despite lacking support from the mainstream scientific community. The committee's new composition could fundamentally alter how the federal government addresses autism, potentially focusing resources on debunked theories and unproven treatments.
"The concern is, every day, many thousands of new children and adults are being diagnosed with autism, and this is brand new," Helen Tager-Flusberg, a former member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, told The Independent. "They're going to go to the FDA to look for treatments, and they're going to see anything goes. And they'll go on the internet, and these are the treatments that will come into that feed all these alternative kinds of treatments that are so dangerous."
Dangerous Treatments No Longer Warned Against
Until recently, the FDA maintained a webpage explicitly cautioning against products and treatments claiming to cure autism spectrum disorder, noting that some "may carry significant health risks." Among the treatments highlighted were "Chelation Therapies," which purport to "cleanse the body of toxic chemicals" despite lacking FDA approval for autism treatment, and "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy," involving patients breathing pure oxygen in pressurized chambers. The website advised, "Few diseases or conditions can be treated quickly, so be suspicious of any therapy claimed as a 'quick fix.'" However, this critical resource vanished in January without explanation.
Kennedy announced his appointees for the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee last month, stating they would help him "fight autism." Notably, several nominees have previously promoted the very cures the FDA had warned against. "In one way or another, every single appointee subscribes to some alternative views of what autism is. And they it's just so unrepresentative of the mainstream autism community," said Tager-Flusberg, a professor of psychological brain services at Boston University.
Controversial Appointees and Their Backgrounds
The new committee members include several individuals with controversial histories regarding autism treatments and vaccine skepticism. Sylvia Fogel, a doctor and assistant in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, has opposed vaccine mandates despite acknowledging immunization benefits. Daniel Rossignol, another physician appointee, faced a 2011 lawsuit alleging he subjected a child to chelation therapy among other fraudulent treatments, though the case was later dropped.
Elizabeth Mumper, also appointed by Kennedy, co-authored a study on hyperbaric oxygen therapy with Rossignol and has written for Kennedy's nonprofit, Children's Health Defense, about a child developing autism after receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine. Another nominee, Lisa Ackerman, is a longtime Kennedy ally who organized the Green Our Vaccines rally in 2008 through her organization, now called The Autism Community in Action.
"Given the IACC's role is to make recommendations to the government about autism research and policy, the fact that there's been this like anti vaccine, kind of takeover of the IACC is really concerning," said Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. "It leads me to worry, as some of RFK Jr.'s other actions have, that HHS is going to try to open up studies into the idea of a link between vaccines and autism."
Political Connections and Financial Contributions
Many committee members who have promoted questionable autism treatments also contributed financially to Kennedy's unsuccessful 2024 presidential campaign. Kennedy initially sought the Democratic nomination against Joe Biden before launching an independent bid, eventually dropping out and endorsing Donald Trump, who later appointed him as Health and Human Services Secretary. Both Kennedy and Trump have historically speculated about debunked links between vaccines and autism.
In defense of the appointments, HHS spokesperson Emily Hillard stated, "The 21 new members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee bring decades of experience in autism research and clinical care. They are committed to advancing innovation in autism research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention to align federal policy with current gold-standard science." The department also cited a nearly 400 percent increase in autism spectrum disorder diagnoses, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes this rise primarily to improved detection methods.
Concerns About Misinformation and Patient Safety
Advocates warn that placing individuals who promote autism misinformation in official government positions could have far-reaching consequences. "When people who purvey these fake cures and quack treatments, and sometimes very dangerous quack treatments, they really prey on parents' panic and anxiety," Gross explained. Tager-Flusberg added that the situation creates additional stress for healthcare professionals, stating, "I don't think our pediatricians and our other clinicians have the bandwidth to cope with all this misinformation. We have turned the clock back more than 70 years at this point."
The legislation governing the committee, originally passed in 2006 as the Combating Autism Act and reauthorized several times since, requires at least three autistic self-advocates on the committee. While this requirement is technically met, former committee member Samantha Crane expressed concern that the administration is doing the bare minimum. "There's sort of an implication that if they could have not appointed any autistic people to the IACC, they would have done that," Crane said. "It's especially concerning that anyone who could potentially voice a concern about the science behind what people are saying has been sort of purged."
