Overview

• The Department of Health and Human Services has cancelled 22 mRNA vaccine projects within its biomedical research division, eliminating nearly $500 million in pandemic-era funding.
• Contracts for a Moderna H5N1 avian flu mRNA vaccine and solicitations from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus and Gritstone were terminated or annulled.
• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited data indicating that mRNA vaccines failed to effectively prevent upper respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and influenza.
• The saved funds are earmarked for whole-pathogen vaccines and alternative technologies described as safer and more broadly acting against mutating viruses.
• Infectious disease experts warn that removing mRNA vaccine support could weaken future pandemic preparedness while other mRNA applications, including cancer immunotherapies, remain unaffected.