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17h ago

HHS Terminates $500 Million in mRNA Vaccine Contracts to Favor Older Platforms

Experts warn the abrupt shift to traditional vaccine approaches will undermine future pandemic preparedness

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TOPSHOT - This picture taken in Monts, central France, on April 22, 2021, shows vials of the Moderna Covid-19 disease vaccine at Recipharm plant. Recipharm has been chosen by the American biotech Moderna to produce part of its candidate vaccine against Covid-19 in France. (Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT / AFP) (Photo by GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • On August 5, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. halted funding for 22 mRNA vaccine projects totaling nearly $500 million, redirecting resources toward whole-virus and other conventional platforms
  • Kennedy asserted that mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for upper respiratory infections, a claim disputed by leading researchers and public health authorities
  • WHO immunisation lead Joachim Hombach and former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams described the move as a severe setback that could cost lives in future outbreaks
  • Prominent epidemiologists, including Michael Osterholm, cautioned that withdrawing mRNA investment will delay rapid vaccine development and erode U.S. leadership in pandemic response
  • Canadian and international scientists warned that U.S. cuts will stall domestic innovation and push critical mRNA research abroad, threatening allied access to new vaccine technologies