The US Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services (HHS) said on Tuesday that his party would begin to reduce efforts to develop the MRNA vaccine under the federal health agent that focused on developing medical control to overcome the public health emergency.
The MRNA vaccine has been credited by public health experts by saving millions of lives during Pandemic Covid-19, and many infectious disease experts have stressed that years of research has shown that the shot was safe and effective. But HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the leading vaccine skeptical, claimed in a statement that accompanied HHS announcements that “Data shows this vaccine failed to effectively protect against upper respiratory infections such as covid and flu.”
That step, according to HHS, emerged after a “comprehensive review of investments related to MRNA that began during the Covid-19 community health emergency,” will involve cancellation and eliminate various contracts under the Research and Development Authority of Biomedical (Barda). “Wind-down” will affect 22 projects that produce a total of nearly $ 500 million, according to HHS press release.
“We shifted the funds towards a safer and wider vaccine platform that remained effective even when the virus mutated,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy has faced broad criticism from public health experts for many years for spreading medical disinformation, including about vaccines. His nomination by President Donald Trump in November to lead HHS triggered protests from the science and medical community, but he was finally confirmed for the role in February.
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Tuesday’s announcement marked HHS’s latest step under Kennedy’s leadership to significantly change the country’s immunization policy. In May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that they would stop recommending an annual COVID-19 vaccine for children and most adults. In June, Kennedy said that he would retire all 17 committee members who gave recommendations on vaccines to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Kennedy appointed a new member to the committee, and last month, HHS adopted controversial recommendations from the panel to remove the preservative thimerosal from the flu vaccine, although extensive research shows it is safe in small amounts included in several shots.
HHS said on Tuesday that “several final stages of contract … will be allowed to run their courses to maintain previous taxpayer investments,” but “there is no new MRNA -based project that will begin.” The agency said that “the use of other MRNA technology in the department is not affected” by the step. He also said that Barda would divert its focus to “platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices,” added that “technology that was funded during the emergency phase but failed to meet scientific standards at this time would be deleted in supporting evidence-based solutions, ethically-such as vaccines all viruses and new platforms.”
