Dr. Peter Marks, former head of the FDA’s vaccine division, says he was forced out of the government after he declined a request from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s team for unrestricted access to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), fearing the data could be altered or erased.
Marks, who was forced to resigned shortly after, said he allowed Kennedy’s associates to read reports in VAERS but denied them editing privileges due to lack of trust. “They’d write over it or erase the whole database,” he told the Associated Press.
Marks said Kennedy’s broader efforts since taking office — including suspending vaccine research and promoting alternative measles treatments — signal a push to reduce vaccine use. Though Kennedy never spoke directly with Marks, the former FDA official said he was summoned to HHS headquarters and told, “Look, he wants you gone.”
Marks submitted his resignation that day, citing Kennedy’s promotion of vaccine “misinformation.” An HHS spokesperson responded by calling Marks a “rubber stamp” for the drug industry and said Kennedy is appointing scientists to address chronic disease.
