U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cancelled nearly $500 million in funding for vaccine development using mRNA technology.
In a statement Tuesday, RFK Jr. confirmed that 22 projects using mRNA to develop vaccines for viruses like COVID-19 and the flu were being scrapped.
He claimed that those vaccines do not efficiently protect against upper respiratory viruses, and further claimed they encourage viruses to mutate.
Highlights
- RFK Jr. canceled nearly $500 million in funding for 22 mRNA vaccine projects targeting COVID-19, flu, and other respiratory viruses.
- He claims mRNA vaccines don’t protect well against upper respiratory viruses and may encourage viral mutations and prolonged pandemics.
- Health experts warn the cancellation endangers pandemic preparedness due to mRNA vaccines’ rapid production ability and proven effectiveness.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has cancelled about $500 million in funding for vaccines
Image credits: The White House
It comes after he fired all 17 members of a vaccine advisory panel last month and replaced them with some vaccine skeptics and close allies.
“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” RFK Jr. said in a statement.
“BARDA [Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority] is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data shows these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID-19 and flu.
“We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
Health experts have credited mRNA vaccines as crucial in slowing the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic.
Image credits: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
They have now warned that future pandemics will be harder to stop without the development of mRNA vaccines.
“I don’t think I’ve seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,” Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations, told AP.
He noted the potential advantage of rapid production using mRNA technology, which would be vital for the rapid development of a new vaccine during a pandemic.
A wide range of programs run by leading pharmaceutical companies will be affected by the move, including projects with Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna.
Contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech will also be terminated, and existing contracts of mRNA-related work with Luminary Labs, ModeX, and Seqirus will be “de-scoped.”
In a social media video, RFK Jr. claimed that mRNA vaccines “encourage new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.”
“HHS has determined that mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses,” RFK Jr. said.
“Let me be absolutely clear, HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them,” he added.
Other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by the funding cancellation.
Vaccines developed using mRNA technology work by teaching one’s body how to fight off certain viruses without using the actual virus.
RFK Jr. has been widely criticized for his views on vaccines
Image credits: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
They use a tiny piece of genetic code called messenger RNA (mRNA), which gives cells instructions to make a harmless protein that looks like part of the virus.
The immune system sees this new protein as a threat and learns to fight it.
Later, if the real virus enters the body, the immune system remembers how to respond quickly and protects a person from getting sick.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of people were tested before Moderna and Pfizer’s mRNA vaccines were released, and the vaccines were found to be safe and effective.
However, some people still became ill with COVID-19 despite being vaccinated, and RFK Jr. has attributed this to limitations in mRNA technology, particularly reduced effectiveness against different virus variants.
While mRNA and other vaccine injuries are rare, a small number of cases of adverse effects to the COVID-19 jab have been reported in the U.S.
Image credits: The White House
Myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart muscle, was documented in a minority of people after a second mRNA vaccine, in particular young males.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledged that most cases were mild and responded well to treatment.
The latest HHS decision is one of many controversial moves made by vaccine-skeptic RFK Jr. since he was appointed to the HHS secretary role.
Just days ago, a policy that financially rewarded hospitals for reporting staff vaccination rates was axed, with HHS describing it as “coercive.”
In May, RFK Jr. removed the COVID-19 vaccine for healthy children and pregnant women from the CDC’s recommended immunization schedule.
He has been criticized for continuing to suggest there is a link between vaccines and autism, despite there being no scientific evidence to support this claim.
Earlier this year, RFK Jr. announced a study into autism and said he would have results on “what has caused the autism epidemic” by September of this year.
Despite previously asking to see the “science” or “data” that proves vaccines are safe, he disputed scientific facts when presented to him by senators in January.
As well as refusing to acknowledge that current research shows there is no link between autism and vaccines, RFK Jr. dismissed data that proved the COVID-19 vaccine saved lives.
RFK Jr. also declined to back the HPV vaccine that is shown to reduce the risk of cervical cancer, among others, and during the worsening measles outbreak earlier this year, he would not provide a substantive endorsement for vaccines.