One compares Kennedy being considered to “having somebody who doesn’t believe in gravity being the head of NASA.”

The news prompted a sell-off across the industry. In the US, shares in Pfizer and Moderna sank more than 5% in early trading, while UK-listed firms AstraZeneca and GSK dropped 2% or more. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said the pick had “spooked” shareholders, despite questions about how the new administration might pursue its threats.

Shares in global vaccine makers and drugmakers fell on Friday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has previously spread misinformation on vaccines, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).