Key facts
- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has written to Toxicology Reports demanding an explanation for the removal of a vaccine study.
- The study, titled “Vaccines and sudden infant death: An analysis of the VAERS database 1990–2019 and review of the medical literature,” was published in 2021 and authored by Neil Z. Miller.
- The study was cited by former personal lawyer Aaron Siri in a presentation to a federal vaccine panel advocating for changes to the childhood immunization schedule.
- The proposed changes to the vaccine schedule were subsequently blocked by a federal judge.
- Publisher Elsevier removed the article, citing that its conclusions were not supported by the methodology employed.
- Kennedy requested details on the decision-making process, consulted experts, and criteria used to discredit the study.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has formally requested an explanation from the journal Toxicology Reports concerning the removal of a 2021 study that examined the relationship between vaccines and sudden infant death.
In a letter dated June 11, 2026, Kennedy addressed Editor-in-Chief Lawrence H. Lash regarding the study titled “Vaccines and sudden infant death: An analysis of the VAERS database 1990–2019 and review of the medical literature.” The study, authored solely by Neil Z. Miller, a prominent vaccine skeptic, was previously utilized by Kennedy's former lawyer, Aaron Siri, in a presentation to a federal vaccine panel. This presentation aimed to support alterations to the childhood immunization schedule, a proposal that has since been blocked by a federal judge.
Kennedy emphasized the importance of research integrity and academic freedom, stating that while retraction of flawed publications is appropriate, it requires a transparent explanation. He specifically asked Lash to detail the process by which the decision to remove the study was made, which experts were consulted, and the criteria used to discredit Miller's findings. Kennedy has given the journal until June 25 to provide this information.
Elsevier, the publisher, issued a removal notice stating that the article's conclusions were not supported by its methodology, citing the inherent limitations of passive reporting systems like VAERS. The publisher noted that the author disputes this decision and the grounds for removal. Miller's study, which analyzed VAERS data, concluded that the rate of sudden infant deaths post-vaccination was statistically significant, though it also stated that the research did not prove an association between infant vaccines and sudden infant deaths.