Particle.news
Download on the App Store
9 ARTICLES
·
3d ago

HHS and NIH Launch $500M Universal Vaccine Program Targeting Flu and Coronaviruses

The Generation Gold Standard initiative shifts vaccine development in-house, bypassing traditional review processes, with clinical trials set for 2026.

The US Department of Health and Human Services is targeting approval of universal flu vaccines in 2029.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a press conference while visiting the Osher Center for Integrative Health at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo
Image
Image

Overview

  • The Generation Gold Standard initiative will use a beta-propiolactone-inactivated whole-virus platform to develop universal vaccines for influenza and coronaviruses.
  • HHS redirected $500 million from Project NextGen COVID-19 research to fund the program, emphasizing government-led vaccine development at NIH.
  • The initiative bypassed standard NIH and BARDA review processes, raising concerns about political influence and scientific oversight.
  • The program aims to begin Phase I clinical trials in 2026 and targets FDA approval by 2029 for broad-spectrum pandemic preparedness.
  • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s involvement and his requirement for placebo-controlled trials have sparked debates over ethics and trial design.