Article Summary:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership has decided to cancel contracts and pull funding for 22 projects, totaling $500 million, that were developing vaccines using mRNA technology. This decision is the latest in a series of actions taken by Kennedy, a longtime vaccine critic, to undermine confidence in and support for vaccines at the nation’s health department.
Kennedy has criticized mRNA vaccines, citing a preference for “safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don’t collapse when viruses mutate.” However, infectious disease experts argue that mRNA technology is safe and effective, and its development during the Trump administration helped slow the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. They warn that future pandemics will be harder to stop without the benefits of mRNA vaccines.
The decision to cancel the mRNA vaccine projects is seen as short-sighted, as concerns about a potential bird flu pandemic continue to loom. Experts like Mike Osterholm and Paul Offit have criticized the move, with Osterholm calling it “the most dangerous decision in public health” in his 50-year career.
The HHS has stated that other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement, and that it will shift its focus to “investing in better solutions.” Kennedy has suggested that the administration is working on a “universal vaccine” that mimics “natural immunity” and could be effective against coronaviruses and the flu.