The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to cancel contracts and stop funding for some vaccines being developed to fight respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 and influenza.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said 22 projects worth a total of $500 million (€433 million) to develop vaccines using mRNA technology would be halted.
Mr Kennedy's decision to halt the projects is the latest in a series of moves that have brought the long-time vaccine critic and his doubts about vaccinations to full fruition at the country's health ministry.
Mr Kennedy has withdrawn recommendations for COVID-19 vaccination, disbanded the panel responsible for developing vaccine recommendations and refused to strongly endorse vaccination despite the worsening measles situation.
The health minister criticized mRNA vaccines in a video posted on his social media accounts, explaining the decision to cancel projects run by the country's leading pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna, which provide protection against viruses such as influenza, COVID-19 and H5N1.
“To replace problematic mRNA programs, we are prioritizing the development of safer and more universal vaccination strategies, such as whole-virus vaccines and new platforms that are not susceptible to disruption by virus mutations,” Mr. Kennedy said in the video.
Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe and credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Future pandemics will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA.
“I don’t think in my 50 years of working in this field I’ve ever seen a more dangerous public health decision,” said Mike Osterholm, an infectious disease and pandemic preparedness expert at the University of Minnesota.
He noted that mRNA technology offers the potential advantages of rapid production, which is critical in the event of a new pandemic requiring the development of a new vaccine.
Pausing mRNA research projects is short-sighted as fears of a bird flu pandemic continue to mount, said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
“It has certainly saved millions of lives,” Mr. Offit said of existing mRNA vaccines.
Scientists are using mRNA for more than just vaccines against infectious diseases: researchers around the world are exploring its use in cancer immunotherapy. Earlier this year, Bel
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
