Former FDA Chief Scott Gottlieb Rebukes Trump’s Claims About Hepatitis B Transmission

Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CBS News’ Face the Nation that President Donald Trump’s recent assertion that hepatitis B is “mostly” spread sexually or through dirty needles is “simply not true.” Gottlieb argued that this description overlooks important gaps in testing and prevention—particularly around childbirth—leaving some infected mothers and newborns unprotected.

Gaps in Prenatal Testing
“The fact is, there’s a refrain that if you just test the moms while they’re pregnant, you can detect whether they have hepatitis B, and if they have hepatitis B, you continue to give that birth dose,” Gottlieb said. He added that the reality is more complicated: many pregnant people are not tested despite intentions to do so, test results are not always checked or followed up, and diagnostic tests can produce false negatives. Gottlieb cited an estimated false negative rate of about 2%, meaning some infected mothers would be missed even when testing is performed.

“That’s the problem. That’s simply not true,” Gottlieb said of the president’s characterization.

Changes to CDC Vaccine Guidance
The remarks came after the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted 8–3 to remove the prior universal recommendation that all newborns receive the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. Under the revised guidance, only infants born to mothers who test positive for hepatitis B would be recommended to receive the birth dose. The change still requires endorsement by Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill to become official policy.

Panel Shake-Up and Credibility Concerns
Gottlieb criticized Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to dismiss the existing ACIP panel and appoint new members over the summer. He said the new appointees appear to have been placed to advance a particular agenda and warned this could damage ACIP’s credibility as an independent, science-based advisory body.

How Hepatitis B Spreads and Who’s At Risk
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis B is primarily transmitted when blood, semen, or other bodily fluids from someone with the virus enter the body of an uninfected person. Perinatal transmission—when an infected mother passes the virus to her infant at birth—is a major route of infection. The CDC also notes higher risk among people who were not vaccinated as infants and among children of parents born in countries with high hepatitis B prevalence.

What This Means For Families
Public-health experts say universal newborn vaccination has been an important safety net, reducing the chance that an infected mother who was missed by testing will transmit hepatitis B to her newborn. If the new guidance is finalized, some clinicians and states may continue universal birth dosing while others adopt the targeted approach, potentially creating uneven protection across the country.

Reporting note: The ACIP vote was 8–3, and the guidance requires final approval from the Acting CDC Director to take effect.