WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday (Aug 5) introduced it will terminate 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, questioning the security of a expertise credited with serving to finish the COVID-19 pandemic and saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
The announcement, made by Well being Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, marks his newest effort to weave vaccine skepticism into the core of US authorities coverage.
“We reviewed the science, listened to the specialists, and acted,” Kennedy mentioned in an announcement.
The well being division’s Biomedical Superior Analysis and Growth Authority (BARDA) is “terminating 22 mRNA vaccine growth investments as a result of the information present these vaccines fail to guard successfully towards higher respiratory infections like COVID and flu”, he added.
“We’re shifting that funding towards safer, broader vaccine platforms that stay efficient at the same time as viruses mutate.”
The adjustments have an effect on Moderna’s mRNA hen flu vaccine – a transfer the corporate itself disclosed in Could – in addition to quite a few different programmes, together with “rejection or cancellation of a number of pre-award solicitations” from pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Sanofi.
In whole, the affected tasks are price “almost US$500 million”, the Division of Well being and Human Providers (HHS) mentioned. Sure late-stage tasks have been excluded from the transfer “to protect prior taxpayer funding.”
“Let me be completely clear: HHS helps secure, efficient vaccines for each American who needs them,” Secretary Kennedy mentioned.
“That is why we’re transferring past the restrictions of mRNA and investing in higher options.”
