Amerika Posted on 2025-08-06 11:01:00

US halts vaccine funding - $500 million in funding for mRNA technology projects cut off

From Kristi Ceta

US halts vaccine funding - $500 million in funding for mRNA technology projects

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to cancel $500 million in vaccine projects. In a statement from his office, the longtime vaccine critic said all of the projects that will be halted use mRNA technology.

"After reviewing the science and consulting with the industry's top experts, the Department of Health and Human Services has determined that mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses," Kennedy said in a video posted on the social media platform X. The statement refers primarily to mRNA vaccines for Covid-19 and influenza. The secretary has long been skeptical of the innovative mRNA platform.

The planned cancellation of contracts includes work with Emory University and Tiba Biotech. Proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur and others will also be rejected, according to the department.

A former official of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority from 2016 to 2020 criticized the decision, calling it a “strategic misstep.” “This decision signals a dangerous complacency. Discontinuing investment in mRNA technology deprives us of one of the quickest tools we have to contain the next pandemic, whether natural or intentional. Retreating from proven medical countermeasure platforms at a time of global biological threats deeply compromises national security,” the former official said.

The Department of Health announced that the cancellations affect 22 projects worth nearly $500 million. However, some contracts in the final stages will be "allowed to proceed to preserve previous taxpayer investments." Future investments in the sector will also focus on technologies such as whole-virus vaccines and other new immunization platforms.

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