The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is winding down its mRNA vaccine development activities under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the agency announced Tuesday.
“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement. The winding down will include the cancellation of some contracts, he added.
“BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
HHS’s decision comes after it said it conducted a “comprehensive review” of mRNA-related investments that began during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it signals a broader shift in federal vaccine policy.
BARDA will now focus on platforms with “stronger safety records” and “transparent clinical and manufacturing practices,” the agency said, adding that vaccine technologies that were funded during the pandemic but failed to meet “current scientific standards” will be phased out in favor of whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms.
This is a developing story
