Vaccine manufacturers and health experts have raised alarm after a U.S. immunization advisory panel voted to end its long-held recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now advises that only infants born to hepatitis B-positive mothers get the immediate dose, while others should decide timing with healthcare providers. Companies like Merck and GSK say the change risks reversing decades of progress, noting that universal newborn vaccination since 1991 has led to a 99% drop in infections and prevented thousands of deaths.

Health organizations and infectious disease specialists argue that hepatitis B, which can be passed from mother to child during birth and can cause lifelong liver damage and cancer, remains dangerous without a cure. They insist there is no scientific benefit in delaying vaccination and warn that the new approach could leave infants unprotected if maternal infections go undetected. Merck urged the panel to restore more scientific and frontline medical voices to its working groups to ensure evidence-based decisions.

Shares of Merck and GSK fell slightly after the decision, while Sanofi saw a small rise. GSK says it stands behind its vaccine and is awaiting the CDC’s formal adoption of the recommendation before responding further. Critics also noted that many panel members were appointed by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic, fueling concerns about political influence over public health policy.

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