HHS Secretary RFK Jr. Pulls Plug on $500M in mRNA Vaccine Projects

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of Health and Human Services, stated Tuesday that his department is ending funding and contracts worth about $500 million for the development of mRNA vaccines, marking a significant change in federal objectives for vaccine research.

The action was referred to as a "coordinated wind-down" of mRNA vaccine research efforts under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) by the Department of Health and Human Services.

22 projects are impacted by the decision, including partnerships with major pharmaceutical firms like Pfizer, Moderna, Sanofi Pasteur, and CSL Seqirus.

According to Robert F.Kennedy, "the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu." Among the canceled projects was the development of an H5N1 bird flu vaccine through a key partnership between Moderna and the University of Texas Medical Branch.

Multiple cancellations will then impact a wide range of ongoing research efforts:

Immediate Terminations:

• Contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech for RNA-based antiviral treatments
  
• mRNA-related work with ModeX and CSL Seqirus
  

Rejected Proposals:

• Multiple pre-award solicitations from pharmaceutical giants including Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, and Gritstone
  
• Projects under BARDA's Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle, designed to rapidly develop pandemic treatments
  

Restructured Collaborations:

• Department of Defense partnerships affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with major players like Moderna and others
  
• A critical Moderna/University of Texas Medical Branch collaboration developing an H5N1 bird flu vaccine

No new mRNA-based initiatives will be started, however certain final-stage contracts will be completed.

Lawmakers immediately criticized the announcement. The contradictory actions behind the "vaccines developed using mRNA technology saved American lives during the COVID-19 pandemic—and they were fast-tracked by the first Trump administration" was brought up by Representative Greg Stanton.

Kennedy's known history of vaccine skepticism, which includes misleading claims that vaccines cause autism and his labeling of COVID-19 injections as "the deadliest vaccine ever made" in 2021, correlates to this new action.

Redirecting funds to "safer, broader vaccine platforms" is what Kennedy said the department would do. "We're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions," he said.