The next is the transcript of the interview with former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who now serves on the boards of Pfizer and United Healthcare, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Dec. 7, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: For a take a look at some latest modifications to U.S. public well being coverage. We’re joined now by former FDA commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb. He additionally serves on the boards of Pfizer and United Healthcare. Welcome again.
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Thanks.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You recognize there was some fairly large information on Friday, and the American Academy of Pediatrics stated they’re deeply alarmed that the CDC vaccine advisory panel, ACIP voted on this 8-3 resolution to vary this 30 12 months lengthy coverage concerning Hepatitis B and newborns. They’re now recommending delaying the dose till a toddler is 2 months outdated, as an alternative of inside 24 hours of start. What does this resolution imply for households of newborns?
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Yeah. Effectively, look, I feel we first want to grasp why we give that start dose of the vaccine, as a result of the concept of giving a vaccine to a new child, to a number of mother and father, sounds discomforting, that the very first thing a toddler goes to face once they’re born goes to be a vaccine inside the first 24 hours. For a kid over the age of 5, in the event that they develop Hepatitis B an infection, in the event that they’re uncovered to it, they’ll have a 95% likelihood of clearing that an infection, and so they’ll go on to develop lifelong immunity. For kids between the ages of 1 and 5, they solely have a few 25 to 50% likelihood of clearing the an infection, so about 25 to 50% of youngsters will develop power an infection, and a few quarter of them will go on to die from hepatitis B in the event that they’re between the ages of 1 and 5. So youngsters are extra weak to this virus and might’t clear the an infection. However while you’re speaking a few new child, an toddler, 90% of newborns who turn into contaminated, and so they’ll turn into contaminated throughout supply, will go on to develop power an infection, they will not be capable of clear the hepatitis B, and about 25% of them will die from sequelae of that an infection, both from liver illness, cirrhosis or from liver most cancers. So we’ve this distinctive alternative by giving this start dose and the next inoculations to nearly get rid of the possibility {that a} new child can contract Hepatitis B and go on to develop power an infection, it is nearly 99% efficient at stopping that power an infection. And the chorus is.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And–
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: And one closing level, the chorus is, oh, sorry, please.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No, no. And this resolution now could be to attend two months earlier than giving that dose.
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Proper.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The President of the US got here out and stated, this was excellent, as a result of Hep B is just transmitted sexually or by soiled needles.
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Yeah, look, that is the issue. That is merely not true. The actual fact is, there is a chorus that should you simply take a look at the mothers throughout, whereas they’re pregnant, you possibly can detect whether or not they have hepatitis B, and if they’ve hepatitis B, you proceed to offer that start dose. However the actuality is, many mothers do not get examined, although they intend to, many instances, these take a look at outcomes aren’t checked, and the exams themselves have a false unfavorable price, which means they’ll say you do not have hepatitis B, when in actual fact, you do, of about 2 %. That won’t sound like loads, however that 2% goes to translate into not less than 1000 infants being born and getting contaminated with hepatitis B. There was one modeling estimate that estimated within the first 12 months of this new steerage, there’s going to be 1,400 youngsters, infants contracting hepatitis B, and once more, 25% of them will die from that an infection.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Effectively, we take a look at this as a result of there’s this broader scrutiny of vaccines proper now by the Trump administration and on this board resolution, which the general public might pay attention into. It was publicly broadcast. The board was hand picked by RFK Jr, who’s a skeptic right here of vaccines, from those that voted in opposition to the choice to delay. One in every of them who you heard on the high of the present stated the CDC is doing hurt. One other stated, “No rational science has been offered, and the committee should settle for duty when hurt is brought about.” These are fairly extraordinary statements. If the group making a call that has such excessive penalties for probably the most weak People is not basing it on science, no rational science, what does that point out about what comes subsequent?
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Effectively, look, that is the ACIP by and huge, apart from a handful of members, are anti-vax activists who have been put there to hold out a selected agenda. And look, the Secretary, to his credit score, has been very sincere about what his intentions are right here. He is probably the most outstanding anti-vaxer within the nation previous to coming into this place, and he acknowledged that his purpose is to get rid of childhood immunization, or many of those childhood immunizations, and I feel they’ll take a methodical strategy and slowly chip away at this. This can be a large unforced error insofar as ACIP was a esteemed physique that a number of states tie their very own resolution making to, and what we’re seeing proper now could be as a gaggle, it is being degraded, and I do not suppose it is going to ever be restored. I do not suppose you possibly can simply flip the swap and restore this the place individuals are going to all of a sudden respect its choices once more. There’s about 600 state legal guidelines that have been tied to choices ACIP made. About 17 states have already handed new laws saying they may not respect the selections of ACIP. The insurers got here out and stated they’ll tie their very own protection choices to the skilled our bodies just like the American Academy of Pediatrics and never ACIP. So I feel in time, ACIP goes to be absolutely degraded as a call making physique, and it’ll be extra symbolic. There shall be sure states that- that adhere to it, however shall be extra symbolic.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So that you this week, we noticed an enormous dump in biotech shares following these reviews that the FDA, which you used to run the primary a part of the Trump administration, is now going to require one research to clinch approval of vaccines. You have been one of many former commissioners who put out this actually extraordinary editorial within the New England Journal of Drugs, arguing that the FDA and high vaccine regulator, Dr. Vinay Prasad, are altering insurance policies in a method that is going to decelerate new and higher vaccines. What particularly is the issue you see? As a result of this is not simply hep B, that is the vaccines of the longer term. You are saying simply will not be created?
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Proper. So Vinay Prasad, who’s the top of the biologic middle. Additionally oversees the vaccine Division. He additionally has been appointed the top of biostatistics, the Chief Medical Officer of the company, and chief scientific officer. So he occupies a number of positions. Put out a memo saying that they’ll cast off, or transfer away from, what they name immuno bridging research. These are research that enable you for properly validated vaccines, just like the flu vaccine, to have the ability to exhibit annually that the vaccine, the brand new vaccine, that is formulated in opposition to the circulating pressure, can elicit antibodies which can be efficient in opposition to that specific pressure, and that might be the premise of approval, somewhat than requiring new end result research yearly to show that the vaccine truly reduces the incidence of influenza. For established vaccines, the place we all know that antibody manufacturing is an effective correlate for immunity, this has been a protracted standing apply. It is, we do it for flu vaccine, we do it in covid Definitely, we do it for issues like pneumococcal vaccine, the vaccine for pneumococcal illness, the place we take a look at serotypes circulating bacterial serotypes. This permits us to replace vaccines as these viral and bacterial strains change, and because the composition of the strains change in time to offer safety for the Fall respiratory season. In the event that they transfer away from this, which is what he stated, they plan to do, we’re simply not going to have the ability to replace vaccines every season, as we have achieved traditionally, to accommodate regardless of the circulating pressure is.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And 12 former FDA commissioners got here out saying they’re deeply involved about what is occurring. That memo that made clear the modifications which can be taking place inside the FDA from Dr. Prasad was obtained by CBS, and it claimed that profession FDA workers are making modifications partly as a result of they discovered not less than 10 youngsters have died after and due to receiving the Covid vaccine, referred to it as a profound revelation, and stated and requested, Did it kill extra wholesome youngsters than it saved? The administration, to this point, has not backed up data to again up these claims, however, however, what questions do you will have for the FDA commissioner, as a result of they’re arguing they’re doing this to assist folks?
DR. SCOTT GOTTLIEB: Yeah, look, properly, initially, one factor does not circulation from the subsequent. So the concept if, in actual fact, they discovered instances the place the covid vaccine was linked to tragic deaths, it does not then observe that you just make these coverage modifications. The truth is, the coverage modifications would not deal with what the issues are associated to the covid vaccine itself. These are- each case must be fastidiously adjudicated. It is tragic to see any suspected case that might be linked to a vaccine. And these have been checked out beforehand by the FDA, and I do not imagine that the brand new FDA had entry to the case degree knowledge evaluation of instances, particular person instances that get filed with the company the place there’s a loss of life in proximity to vaccination, and a few of these are filed by the producers themselves are very subjective and require the goodwill the folks concerned in that. And so I feel that they need to make that evaluation public so it might be scrutinized and folks can get consolation in that they’ve already backed away from the ten is reporting from endpoints that now they’re saying it is eight or 9, so that they’re already backing away from it.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay. And HHS stated they may finally make that knowledge public. We’ll search for it when it comes out. Dr Gottlieb, thanks on your evaluation at this time. We’ll be again in a second.
