Senators Question Kennedy's Handling of Gardasil Stake

A group of U.S. senators is questioning the actions of U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. regarding his financial stake in litigation involving Merck's Gardasil vaccine.

The lawmakers claim that Kennedy's recent explanation for disposing of his stake conflicts with earlier answers he gave in written testimony and federal ethics filings, according to Reuters.

Last month, the senators asked whether Kennedy's son received a share of the $50 million settlement Merck agreed to pay this year to settle litigation over Gardasil. They also asked why Kennedy did not commit to recusing himself from HHS decisions involving Gardasil or other vaccine-related policymaking.