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17h ago

HHS Cancels $766 Million Moderna Contract for H5N1 mRNA Vaccine

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. argued continued funding for the mRNA-based H5N1 vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable.

Moderna logo is seen in Warsaw, Poland on April 9, 2025. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
FILE - A patient is given a flu vaccine Oct. 28, 2022, in Lynwood, Calif. On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, the U.S. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Moderna logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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Overview

  • HHS withdrew two BARDA grants—$176 million awarded in July 2024 and $590 million in January 2025—for late-stage development and purchase rights of Moderna’s H5N1 vaccine.
  • Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has voiced deep skepticism about mRNA technology, and HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said the program failed to meet scientific and ethical standards.
  • In a Phase 1/2 trial involving roughly 300 healthy adults, Moderna reported a 98% immune response rate and a favorable safety profile three weeks after the second dose.
  • The H5N1 bird flu strain has infected at least 70 people in the US, killed one, and been detected in cattle across multiple states, fueling pandemic concerns.
  • Public health experts, including former COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha, warned that cutting mRNA vaccine funding could undermine future pandemic preparedness.