HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced the cancellation of nearly $500 million in federal contracts associated with mRNA vaccine development.
The decision comes after a review of pandemic-era investments made through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, according to an Aug. 5 news release from the agency.
HHS is terminating 22 projects, citing data that mRNA vaccines have not shown strong protection against upper respiratory infections like COVID-19 and influenza. While a few final-stage agreements will be allowed to finish, no new mRNA vaccine projects will be approved, the release said.
“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” Mr. Kennedy stated in the news release. “BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
