The US Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that it will terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, raising concerns about the safety of a technology credited with helping to end the Covid pandemic and saving millions of lives. The decision comes from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a unit that helps companies develop medical supplies to address public health threats and had provided billions of dollars for vaccine development during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The wind-down includes the cancellation of a contract awarded to Moderna for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine for humans, as well as the rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations from other companies such as Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, and Gritstone. The affected projects are worth nearly $500 million, though certain late-stage projects are excluded to preserve prior taxpayer investment.
This move is the latest development under US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a longtime vaccine skeptic who has been making significant changes to vaccine, food, and medicine policies. Kennedy stated that the decision comes after reviewing the science and listening to experts, and that funding will be redirected towards safer and broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.
While Kennedy did not offer scientific evidence, he believes that mRNA vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections such as COVID and flu. The decision follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments made during the Covid-19 public health emergency. Since taking office, Kennedy has overhauled US health policy, replacing a panel of vaccine experts with his own appointees and ordering a new study on the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism.
Despite their success in ending the Covid pandemic, mRNA vaccines work differently than traditional vaccines. They deliver genetic instructions into the host’s cells, prompting them to produce a harmless decoy of the pathogen and train the immune system to fight the real thing. The technology’s pioneers, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, were awarded the 2023 Nobel prize in medicine for their groundbreaking work in vaccine development.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/05/rfk-jr-hhs-mrna-vaccine-research
