Annals rejects Kennedy retraction request

The editor of a leading medical journal declines RFK Jr.’s call to retract a Danish study on aluminum containing vaccines.

Annals rejects Kennedy retraction request on Danish aluminum vaccine study

The Annals of Internal Medicine has declined to retract the 2025 Danish study that found no link between childhood vaccines containing aluminum and 50 chronic health disorders. Editor in Chief Christine Laine said there is no reason for retraction. The work analyzed health records for about 1.2 million Danish children. Lead author Anders Hviid noted the study did not lack funding but faced critique about controls and data access; he said the country’s rules prevent releasing raw, individual level data. Kennedy has publicly questioned the study through an op ed on Trial Site News and targeted the research team and its funders. The op ed described the study as flawed and labeled the funding from the Novo Nordisk Foundation as a point of concern. The Danish data protection regime prevents sharing raw data, a fact critics say undermines transparency.

The clash shows how science can become a channel for political fights. A journal’s decision to back a study under scrutiny tests the pressure journals face from officials who frame science as a political weapon. Trust in expertise may be endangered when funding and governance questions bleed into editorial choices. The episode also highlights how data access rules can complicate critique, even as lawmakers push for more openness in public health research.

Highlights

The science debate will press on in classrooms, clinics, and courtrooms alike.