Trump's Potential 'Health Czar' Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Rattles Vaccine Stocks: 'Shoot First Reaction'

President-elect Donald Trump has said he will give Robert F. Kennedy Jr. a senior role in his incoming administration to advance his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda. Trading in pharmaceutical stocks is shaky this week and the details are few surrounding a possible appointment.

What To Know: Trump recently said he would let Kennedy “go wild on health” and could "do pretty much what he wants" in his administration, but the details remain murky. 

Kennedy has a record of spreading falsehoods about vaccines, including that they cause autism, a theory disproven by scientific studies, according to The New York Times.

Thirteen measles outbreaks have occurred in the U.S. so far in 2024 versus four last year, and the trend coincides with lower measles vaccination rates, The Times report said, citing the CDC.

Kennedy is outspoken about certain food ingredients and the state of key public health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. 

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Kennedy said in an interview Wednesday with NBC News that Trump has not yet decided what his job in the new administration will be, but he did mention the prospect of being a “White House health czar.”

Kennedy said he wouldn’t "take away anybody’s vaccines," but the uncertainty surrounding his potential impact on the country's health care regulators caused vaccine-related stocks to drop. Investors may be trying to get ahead of any negative consequences related to a potential Kennedy appointment.  

“We view the Trump win as mixed for large-cap biopharma since it creates potential uncertainty regarding Food and Drug Administration independence,” said Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger, according to Investor's Business Daily.  

Market Reaction: Big Pharma's vaccine names dipped on Wednesday with Moderna, Inc. MRNA ending the day down 2.78%, Pfizer, Inc. PFE down 3.9%, BioNTech SE BNTX down 3.9% and GSK Plc GSK closing down by 3.03%.

Moderna reported its third-quarter results Thursday morning with $1.8 billion in Spikevax sales and was trading down in the late afternoon. Shares of the other vaccine makers are recovering Thursday, but the uncertainty may continue as details emerge on a Kennedy role in the forthcoming Trump administration.

"Shoot first reaction being felt across the vaccine complex," wrote Mizuho analyst Jared Holz, as reported by the Wall Street Journal. He added that "for now, state mandates for many treatments remain intact."

MRNA, PFE, BNTX, GSK Price Action: According to data from Benzinga Pro, Moderna shares are up 2.67% at $50.42, Pfizer shares are up 0.35% at $27.44, BioNTech shares are up 1.29% at $108.02 and GSK shares are up 1.77% at $36.54 ahead of the close Thursday.

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