The dirty little secret behind the AMA’s attack on the new vaccine schedule

Shortly after President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing the number of vaccines required for young children, the American Medical Association (AMA) issued a press release claiming Trump’s order puts children’s health at risk.

“Vaccines are among the most thoroughly studied, effective tools we have to protect children from serious vaccine-preventable diseases,” AMA President Willie Underwood, III, said in the statement. “Decisions about how and when vaccines are used should be driven by rigorous scientific evidence, patient safety, and independent medical and public health expertise. Altering a proven vaccination schedule without credible evidence risks weakening public confidence and putting children’s health at risk.”

“It’s important to know, the American Academy of Pediatrics childhood immunization schedule continues to recommend immunizations based on specific disease risks and healthcare delivery in the U.S. Extensive evidence from decades of scientific studies shows no link between vaccines and autism. If you have questions about vaccines, talk to your child’s physician. Putting our children’s health at risk is not an option,” he added.

The president’s executive order brought the number of childhood vaccines down to 11 core vaccinations against the most serious diseases, eliminating the recommendations for COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

The cozy relationship explained

The AMA’s warning against the new vaccine schedule protects Big Pharma’s interest in providing more vaccines, given the relationship between the two entities. The AMA maintains and licenses a database of physician profiles and data and sells that information to drug companies for tens of millions of dollars. The drug companies then obtain physician prescribing data from Health Information Organizations and use the two data sets to push more expensive name-brand drugs over cheaper generics. The AMA states that it “does not collect, license, sell or have access to physician prescribing data,” but the database it sells, in combination with other databases, does get provided to drug companies. And the AMA has an opt-out option for physicians, rather than an opt-in, meaning many physicians may not even know they’re in the database.

Mother Jones reported in 2021 that while “the AMA upholds the sacred doctor-patient relationship, its pharmaceutical funding and dependence on commercial revenue streams make it virtually impossible to discern where public health guidance ends and industry interests begin.” 

That report also claimed that between 2002 and 2018, the AMA and its 501(c)(4), AMA Foundation, received more than $3 million from Purdue Pharma, which ceased operations in May. The AMA stopped receiving direct funding from Purdue in 2007, but continued to offer the pharma company’s pain management course until 2014, while the AMA Foundation accepted donations from Purdue until 2018.

Scheme helps net AMA more than $540 million in revenue plus grants

The AMA’s 2024 annual tax report shows that it brought in more than $540 million in revenue. Between 2010 and 2014, the AMA received nearly $1 million in grants from Big Pharma companies, the bulk of which came from Pfizer.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also warned against Trump’s new vaccine schedule, calling it “dangerous.” 

"As measles cases reach a 35-year high in the U.S. and with cold and flu season quickly approaching, today's executive order on vaccines is not only disheartening but dangerous. Instead of ensuring every family can access life-saving vaccines for measles, influenza, RSV and more, federal leaders are once again spreading misleading claims,” said Andrew Racine, president of the AAP.

Trump’s executive order did not rescind the measles vaccine, but did suggest breaking up the MMR vaccine – which includes measles – into three separate vaccinations given at separate times.

The AAP also has a history with Big Pharma, which publicizes a Corporate Summit for donors that costs $50,000 and includes participants from Pfizer, Merck, Moderna, and Sanofi, reported Undark Magazine, a nonprofit digital magazine that reports on science and society. The magazine also found that the AAP accepts donations from corporate sponsors, though the exact amount of those donations is undisclosed.