The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Tuesday it will cancel 22 federal contracts for mRNA-based vaccines, raising concerns about a technology widely credited with helping end the COVID-19 pandemic and saving countless lives.
The decision affects contracts managed by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which supports companies in developing medical countermeasures for public health threats. During the pandemic, BARDA provided billions in funding for vaccine development.
As previously reported in May, the move includes terminating a contract with Moderna for late-stage development of its human bird flu vaccine and the option to purchase doses. HHS also rejected or canceled multiple pre-award proposals from companies like Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, and Gritstone.
In total, the canceled projects are worth nearly $500 million, though some late-stage efforts were spared to protect taxpayer investments.
The decision comes under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic who has been reshaping US health policies. “We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” Kennedy said in a statement, claiming mRNA vaccines “fail to protect effectively” against respiratory infections like COVID and flu—though he provided no scientific evidence.
He added that funding would shift toward “safer, broader vaccine platforms” that remain effective as viruses mutate.
HHS said the move follows a review of mRNA investments made during the pandemic. Since taking office, Kennedy—who has spread vaccine misinformation for years—has overhauled US health policy, including dismissing a panel of vaccine experts and replacing them with his own appointees.
In its first meeting, the new panel voted to ban a vaccine preservative long targeted by anti-vaccine activists, despite its proven safety record. Kennedy has also ordered a new study into the debunked link between vaccines and autism.
Unlike traditional vaccines that use weakened or inactivated viruses, mRNA vaccines deliver genetic instructions that teach cells to produce harmless viral proteins, training the immune system to recognize the real threat.
Though researched for decades, mRNA vaccines saw rapid deployment under Operation Warp Speed, a Trump-era initiative that funneled billions into development. The technology’s pioneers, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, won the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work, which enabled vaccines to be developed at unprecedented speed during a global health crisis.
