“The DGA report starts w/ a lot of talk about the importance of evidence.
One part I don’t like, they didn’t follow any of that.” @drpeterlurie.bsky.social
#CFAFPC #FoodPolicy
My colleagues Dr. Margaret Hamburg, Dr. Stephen Ostroff, and I have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia arguing that the Trump admin. manufactured “uncertainty” about the effectiveness and impact on women’s health of FDA-approved contraceptives.
Americans need and deserve reliable health advice from the Surgeon General. Casey Means, however, can be expected to act as a virtual PEZ dispenser for RFK, Jr.’s misinformation.
Read my full statement 👇
On March 3rd, I will be moderating a panel discussion on "The MAHA Mid-Terms" and will be participating as a panelist discussing "Unpacking the Dietary Guidelines for Americans" at the National Food Policy Conference. I'm looking forward to it, and we hope to see you there.
The new Dietary Guidelines are confusing, contradictory, and leave much to be desired when it comes to clear, evidence-based science. Read my latest in @thelancet.com with @gostin.bsky.social 👇
The new DGAs upended a rigorous and transparent process and replaced it with “a conflicted and compromised process that produced contradictory and often unscientific guidelines."
https://www.cspi.org/press-release/new-dietary-guidelines-americans-recipe-poorer-health-experts-say-lancet
In @thelancet.com, Peter Lurie & Alla Hill @cspinet.org and I examine the evidence for a nutritious diet. Sadly, the new Dietary Guidelines for America fail both on process (no transparency + COIs) and on substance (little science & evidence).
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
This level of contradiction is unacceptable given the Secretaries had clear, transparent, evidence-based recommendations at their disposal. While the meat and dairy industries may be excited about the new food pyramid, the American public should not be.
From @propublica.org: a report from the Government Accountability Office shows that the FDA rarely uses its authority to pull dangerous medical devices off the market. The inquiry was requested in 2023 - and my concern is that the circumstances at FDA are now even worse than portrayed in the report.
The vote to overturn long-standing Hepatitis B vaccination recommendations guarantees an increase in serious vaccine-preventable illness — all without evidence of vaccine-induced harm.
Read my latest newsletter with colleagues @sarahd1.bsky.social, Josh Rising, MD, MPH, and @drjoshs.bsky.social.
In previous FDAs, when the agency is approving a drug’s safety and effectiveness, lawmakers weren’t allowed to attend the approval meetings, as their presence could skew the outcome.
Good video by @kateschweitzer.bsky.social, who I spoke with about the safety, efficacy, and regulatory gray area of IV hydration spas.
CSPI President @drpeterlurie.bsky.social spoke to @jama.com about the new trend of IV hydration spas and the concern about the risks of this growing markets that slips between the cracks of state and federal regulation and has the potential for significant adverse effects 👇
Tune in now to @the1a.org on NPR to hear me speak about RFK, Jr., supplement regulations, and more 👇
My latest in JAMA with @gostin.bsky.social. While the MAHA Commission’s goal of reducing chronic diseases is vital, its proposals are weak and unproven.
JAMA viewpoint published online October 22, 2025, titled 'The Make American Healthy Again Strategy Report' by Peter Lurie and Lawrence Gostin. It discusses health initiatives, chronic diseases, and administration policies.
💬 Viewpoint: The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission’s strategy to address chronic diseases in children relies on weak, voluntary, and unsupported initiatives while neglecting proven, evidence-based public health interventions.
ja.ma/4nXOPXr
As I say to @owermohle.bsky.social here, Means is monumentally unqualified for the job as Surgeon General. Even if she were qualified on paper, Means has taken some breathtakingly misinformed positions on matters of public health, including on birth control pills, raw milk, and the causes of autism.
RFK has mounted a full assault on @CDCgov-- slashing funding & staff, & and turned the agency into a political tool that can no longer be fully trusted on public health recommendations, especially vaccines.
Out today in JAMA Health Forum
Peter Lurie CSPI
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
The CDC is being severely weakened by the Trump administration, and with tightening political control, public trust in the CDC is diminishing. Read my latest in @jamahealthforum.com with colleague Larry Gostin.
America's strip malls and Main Streets are filling up with these "hydration spas," with little evidence that they have any health benefits as well as little regulation at the state/federal level.
Like the previous report, this should not be taken seriously as science. But as a political document, we have not seen the last of it.
Secretary Kennedy is right that conflict of interest is an important issue, but he is wrong that it is present at substantial levels on HHS vaccine advisory committees.
At RFK, Jr.'s disastrous hearing yesterday, Senator Bill Cassidy cited a study co-authored by CSPI president @drpeterlurie.bsky.social and USC's @profgenkanter.bsky.social regarding conflicts of interest. Is RFK, Jr. right when he says that 97% of members of vaccine panels had conflicts of interest?
Secretary Kennedy has chosen to foist his own personal pet theories onto the whole country with his reckless campaign to undermine vaccines and public trust in them. Read my statement on the news coming out of the CDC 👇
Nobody would put these panels forward as representing the general scientific opinion.
CSPI President @drpeterlurie.bsky.social appeared on CNN yesterday to discuss RFK Jr.'s stunning decision to pull $500 million in funding away from development of mRNA vaccines - a decision that will have far-reaching impacts beyond just vaccines for COVID.
Video source: CNN
The job of Surgeon General of the United States is not an entry-level position.
RFK, Jr. continues the trend of plucking new hires from unscientific spaces and placing them in positions where they can spread their fringe ideas on a national scale. So-called medical journals like the "Journal of the Academy of Public Health" are the canary in the coal mine here.
“Restoring Gold Standard Science” is a move from the same toolbox as RFK, Jr.’s “radical transparency.” That is to say, it will do the exact opposite of what it says it will do. Excellent piece from @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social and Wendy Wagner.
Just four months into his role as secretary, RFK, Jr. has already cast doubt on established science, fired staff across HHS, slashed funding for research, and pursued fringe health policies while showing no signs of producing and following scientific evidence that would improve the public's health.
