On November 5, 2024, Donald J. Trump won the presidential election in a convincing fashion. One of his allies Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. will play a prominent role in his Administration. Mr. Kennedy has pledged to Make America Healthy Again. Movement in this direction may have profound impacts to pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and food which can leave them walking in a field of cactus.

The Pharmaceutical Industry

Mr. Kennedy has spent his career advocating against the status quo of the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration. He rightly points to conflicts of interest among people who work on behalf of FDA and movement of people between the FDA and private companies. The results of these conflicts are that FDA approves some drugs that are not as safe as claimed, are duplicative of other drugs or therapies, and provide expensive alternatives to more effective non-drug or off-patent treatments. Moreover, he points out that the Direct-to-Consumer advertising dollars leave news media in the position of staying silent in reporting anything negative about pharmaceuticals.

Vaccines

Vaccines have also been a target of Mr. Kennedy. While he does not want to eliminate vaccines, he believes that FDA has not fully vetted several of them, leaving their safety in doubt. In addition, he feels that they are simply over-used (like many pharmaceuticals) and that the government should not require people to take them without more proof of safety and necessity.

Food

In a wholistic consideration, Mr. Kennedy points to the foundational issue with the state of health in the United States. Too many people are obese, and too many people have chronic diseases. The Standard American Diet (or SAD diet) – one filled with preservatives and chemicals – is a primary culprit. For example, European and Canadian food standards have fewer approved additives. Food producers offer literally the same product in those countries with a fraction of the ingredients found in their US versions.

Don’t Underestimate the Changes

Of course, Mr. Kennedy has vowed to bring fundamental changes to the way FDA conducts its business as well as the pharmaceutical and food sector. Many critics – sponsored by powerful industries leaders and dollars, no doubt – have attacked Mr. Kennedy over the years, calling him anti-vax, alarmist, and extreme. However, I suggest that his initiatives – and the legitimate questions he raises challenging the status quo and its impact on health – be taken seriously. He is right on many of these topics.

I am not alone. The market seems to be taking this seriously as well. The three days after the Trump victory saw the major US market indices rise between 4-5%. However, stock prices of several companies did not fare as well: Pfizer was down 4%, Moderna down 17%, AstraZeneca down 12%, and food giant Mondelez down 4%.