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COVID-19

HHS Cancels $500 Million in Funding for mRNA Vaccine Development, Experts Condemn as "Shortsighted" and "Disturbing"

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The European AIDS Treatment Group has expressed concern over the decision by the Health and Human Services (HHS) to cancel almost $500 million dollars in funding for the development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Despite the proven safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines, which have been credited with saving tens of millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called into question their safety and effectiveness. The decision has been met with criticism from experts, who argue that it is a "shortsighted" and "disturbing" move that undermines the legacy of scientific advancements that have saved millions of lives.

Key Takeaways:

  • The HHS has announced the cancellation of nearly two dozen mRNA vaccine development efforts under the Center for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), totaling almost $500 million in funding.
  • HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has called into question the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines, contradicting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which notes that hundreds of millions of people have received one of the vaccines "under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history."
  • Experts, including Jeff Coller, PhD, the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of RNA Biology and Therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University, have expressed concern that the decision undermines the legacy of scientific advancements that have saved millions of lives.
  • Myocarditis and pericarditis have been reported among people who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, but the incidence of either is low after vaccination, according to the CDC.
  • Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, has said that the claim that mRNA vaccines are unsafe is "mostly misinformation and exaggerated claims."
  • The cancellation of funding for mRNA vaccine development is not only a setback for the development of COVID-19 vaccines but also for other potential uses of mRNA technology, including a bird flu vaccine and treatments for cancer, cystic fibrosis, and rare pediatric conditions.
  • The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) president, Tina Tan, MD, FIDSA, FPIDS, FAAP, has noted the proven safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines and has asked the administration to change its mind, stating that the halt in promising research wastes taxpayer dollars and prevents scientific progress.

Statistics:

  • The HHS has announced the cancellation of nearly two dozen mRNA vaccine development efforts.
  • Almost $500 million dollars in funding is being cancelled.
  • Hundreds of millions of people have received mRNA vaccines under intense safety monitoring.
  • The incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA vaccination is low, according to the CDC.
  • The mRNA vaccines were credited with saving tens of millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Moderna was promised nearly $800 million in funding to develop pandemic influenza vaccines, including a bird flu vaccine candidate, but that funding was also cancelled.

Sources:

  • European AIDS Treatment Group press release
  • HHS statement announcing the cancellation of mRNA vaccine funding
  • CDC statement on the safety and effectiveness of mRNA vaccines
  • Johns Hopkins University press release featuring Jeff Coller, PhD
  • Infectious Diseases Society of America statement
  • Healio article featuring Amesh A. Adalja, MD
  • Bloomberg article featuring Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

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