End of the mRNA Era? RFK Jr. Cancels Half a Billion in Vaccine Contracts
Updated
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the cancellation of nearly $500 million in mRNA-based vaccine development projects funded by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). The move comes as Kennedy stresses a move away from mRNA technology in favor of “platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices.”
“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “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.”
The announcement follows a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments that were initiated during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the HHS press release. The mRNA technology, used in the primary COVID-19 vaccinations developed by Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna, has received intense criticism from some public health officials since the COVID-19 vaccines rolled out in 2021.
A 2021 study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that individuals who received the COVID-19 vaccination had a 13.06-fold increased likelihood of breakthrough infection compared to individuals who were previously infected with COVID-19, but did not receive the injection. The authors concluded that “natural immunity confers longer-lasting and stronger protection against infection, symptomatic disease, and hospitalization caused by the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2, compared to the BNT162b2 two-dose vaccine-induced immunity,” which is the vaccine produced by Pfizer BioNTech.
The Vigilant Fox posted a compilation of local news outlets reading similar statements regarding the mRNA project cancellations and stating that the COVID-19 vaccinations are credited with slowing the pandemic. During an interview with Tucker Carlson, Secretary Kennedy said that 75% of the evening news advertising dollars come from big pharma, and he received that information from Roger Ailes, the former CEO of Fox News. Calley Means, a former pharma lobbyist and guest on The HighWire, told Carlson that pharmaceutical advertising is a “public relations lobbying tactic” to buy off the news.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, a former guest on The HighWire, attempted to gather more information from the FDA to quell concerns about DNA integration and the alteration of the human genome. When the FDA failed to respond to Ladapo’s questions adequately, he called for a halt to the usage of all mRNA products.
The Informed Consent Action Network (ICAN) filed a FOIA request asking the CDC to provide the evidence to support the statement “COVID-19 vaccines do not change or interact with your DNA in any way.” In response, the CDC said “subject matter experts” informed the agency that DNA integration is biologically impossible. When asked to provide the names of the subject matter experts and the method by which they came to that conclusion, the CDC came up short.
One of these “experts,” Dr. John Su, said the request fell outside of the scope of the immunization Safety Office (ISO) after conducting a one-hour document search. Kierra Ross conducted a 10-minute “outlook and drive search for “COVID-19 vaccine,” “host DNA interactions,” and “found no records,” but concluded that DNA integration is biologically impossible.
In May, the FDA announced it would no longer routinely approve COVID-19 vaccination for healthy individuals under the age of 65. Manufacturers are now required to conduct a study with an inert placebo to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the vaccine for individuals without comorbidities to receive FDA approval. The CDC announced in May that the COVID-19 vaccine would no longer be recommended for healthy children and healthy pregnant women.
The United States has been an outlier on COVID-19 vaccine policy until these changes were made. The United Kingdom announced in January 2023 that healthy individuals under 50 would not have access to COVID-19 boosters. The current National Health Service guidance in the UK is that only individuals over the age of 75 should be getting COVID-19 boosters, and younger people who have a weakened immune system.
Paul Offit, a former ACIP member with known conflicts of interest with Merck on the development of vaccines, told the Associated Press that mRNA vaccines have “certainly saved millions of lives.” In a CNN report, Offit said, “He [Secretary Kennedy] has said things like the mRNA vaccines are unnecessarily dangerous. It’s just wrong. I mean it’s actually remarkably safe and it’s effective.”
Last year, Moderna received contracts through BARDA for a late-stage mRNA avian “bird” flu vaccine. In May, StatNews reported that Moderna was notified by HHS that $766 million in contracts were being terminated, including the bird flu vaccine.