Overview

• On August 5, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced BARDA will phase out support for 22 mRNA vaccine projects.
• The move shutters about $500 million in research funding while allowing completion of late-stage trials.
• Kennedy said resources will be reallocated to developing what he calls "safer, broader vaccines" against virus mutations.
• Former BARDA director Rick Bright warned the policy could weaken U.S. defenses against future biological threats.
• The shift follows Kennedy’s June overhaul of the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee, replacing members with critics of COVID-19 vaccines.