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6d ago

HHS Halts $500 Million in mRNA Vaccine Development Funding

Kennedy Jr. plans to reroute $500 million toward broader vaccine technologies deemed safer against viral mutation, drawing warnings that sidelining mRNA could weaken future pandemic defenses.

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Overview

  • The cancellation includes a major Moderna contract and affects funding for 22 pharmaceutical firms, among them Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus and Gritstone.
  • Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. justified the shift by arguing that non-mRNA platforms offer broader protection when viruses mutate.
  • Public health experts caution that mRNA vaccines, proven critical in slowing the COVID-19 pandemic, remain essential for rapid future outbreak response.
  • Last month, Kennedy Jr. dismissed all members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices as part of his overhaul of U.S. vaccine policymaking.
  • The funding redirection marks a sharp departure from bipartisan support for mRNA research and raises concerns about America’s readiness for emerging viral threats.