HHS Secretary Pulls Back $500M In Funding For mRNA Vaccine Development

The AP (8/5, Seitz) reports HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “announced in a statement Tuesday that $500 million worth of vaccine development projects, all using mRNA technology, will be halted. The projects – 22 of them – are being led by some of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna to prevent flu, COVID-19 and H5N1 infections.” In the statement, Kennedy said he wants HHS to move away from mRNA vaccines, calling on the department to start “investing in better solutions.” Bloomberg Law (8/5, Lopez, Subscription Publication) adds that HHS said there won’t be any future projects based on mRNA vaccines, although some contracts in their final stages will “run their course to preserve prior taxpayer investment.”