Chrissy Buteas, CEO of the HealthCare Institute of N.J., took exception to some aspects of the Make America Healthy Again released by the Trump administration on Thursday. “The MAHA Report: Making Our Children Healthy Again,” was written by Cabinet officials — led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — and scientific leaders favored by the Trump administration.
Saying that today’s children represent the “sickest generation” in American history in terms of chronic disease, the report noted numerous causes for the situation, including too much ultra-processed food, screen time, exposure to toxins and too many vaccinations and medications.
The report raises doubts about the dozens of shots recommended in the childhood immunization schedule and questions why so much medication is being prescribed — seemingly ignoring the possibility that mediation for something such as adolescent depression is rising because of a rise in diagnosis.
Buteas said the life science industry is a great help – not a hinderance – to children and society as a whole.
“The sole mission of New Jersey’s life sciences is to help American patients and those around the world live longer, with greater health, with less pain and with more independence,” she said.
Buteas said the sector, prominently based in New Jersey for decades, has long been a global leader.
“As the Medicine Chest of the World, our state has been a global leader in medical innovation for nearly 150 years,” she said. “We have cured hepatitis C, created vaccines against cervical cancer, delayed the onset of Alzheimer’s, discovered revolutionary and life-saving treatments for sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis and rare conditions, and are finding new, cutting-edge ways to treat cancers every day.”
The much-anticipated report was picked apart by scientific experts for inaccuracies and omissions.
For instance, Kennedy said in a briefing that prescription drugs are now the number three cause of death in the U.S., after cardiac arrest and cancer.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mortality data for 2023 shows the third-leading cause of death in the country is accidents or unintentional injuries, which includes deaths due to drug overdoses, motor vehicle crashes and falls.
Gun violence, a leading cause of death for children and teens in recent years, according to the CDC, is not mentioned in the report.
Buteas said the report will not slow the sector from doing what it has been doing for generations.
“The biopharmaceutical, medical technology and diagnostics community remains a cornerstone of humanity’s fight against disease, infections and other health conditions, and we will work with all stakeholders — from federal and state agencies to individual patients — to continue researching and discovering the life-saving treatments and cures upon which America and the world relies,” she said.
