RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agency

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — This will deliver a 'crippling blow' to America's 'capacity to develop vaccines during the next pandemic'

(Image credit: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images)

What happened

Heath Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tuesday he had ordered a "coordinated wind-down" of mRNA vaccine development programs at the government's biodefense agency. The decision canceled or modified 22 projects worth nearly $500 million, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses including influenza, H5N1 bird flu and Covid-19, according to the Health and Human Services Department.

Who said what

Kennedy said in a video statement that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) would "replace the troubled mRNA programs" with "safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines" — a century-old technique he has also recently criticized, The New York Times said. As the "pandemic showed us," Kennedy added, incorrectly, "mRNA vaccines don't perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract."

By "issuing this wildly incorrect statement," Kennedy is "demonstrating his commitment to his long-held goal of sowing doubts about all vaccines," Brown University pandemic preparedness expert Jennifer Nuzzo told the Times. The funding cuts followed "months of pressure from anti-vaccine activists" to "pull all mRNA shots off the market," The Washington Post said.

Vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts "expressed horror" at Kennedy's decision, which delivered a "crippling blow" to America's "capacity to develop vaccines during the next pandemic" or another biological threat, Stat News said. "I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business," University of Minnesota infectious disease expert Mike Osterholm told The Associated Press.

What next?

Researchers worldwide are also "exploring" mRNA's "use for cancer immunotherapies," with notable success treating colorectal cancer, said the AP. HHS said Tuesday that "other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement." But "if you're a smaller biotech or just a smaller manufacturer," these mRNA cuts "really can discourage a company from making further investments," said Richard Hughes IV, a vaccine law teacher at George Washington University, to the Post.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.