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4d ago

HHS Withdraws $500 Million for mRNA Vaccine Research as Experts Warn of Pandemic Risks

Termination of 22 NIH-backed projects has sparked warnings that U.S. pandemic defense capacity may erode, risking a shift of biomedical innovation overseas.

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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, HHS under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated nearly $500 million in federal grants, halting 22 ongoing and planned mRNA vaccine research projects at the NIH.
  • Kennedy argued that mRNA vaccines underperform against upper respiratory infections, a rationale rejected by leading scientists and World Health Organization officials as unsupported by data.
  • Researchers including Michael Osterholm and Jennifer Nuzzo warn that ending mRNA research will weaken rapid-response vaccine platforms and leave the United States more vulnerable to future pandemics and bioweapon threats.
  • Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó and other experts caution that U.S. defunding will drive scientists and clinical trials abroad, eroding America’s leadership in biomedical innovation.
  • Canadian researchers say the cuts threaten their domestic vaccine development and could fuel vaccine-confidence crises by lending credibility to misinformation.