HHS Shuts Down $500M in mRNA Vaccine Deals, Citing Safety Concerns Under RFK Jr.
In a seismic move shaking up the medical landscape, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Tuesday that it will terminate 22 federal contracts tied to mRNA-based vaccines—a decision that questions the safety of the very technology that played a pivotal role in curbing the Covid pandemic and saving millions of lives.
The move comes from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a government division that bankrolls the development of medical countermeasures. During the height of the pandemic, BARDA poured billions into vaccine research, enabling companies to roll out Covid shots at record speed.
One of the scrapped contracts includes a high-profile deal with Moderna for the late-stage development of its avian flu vaccine for humans, along with its purchase rights—a cancellation first hinted at back in May.
Beyond Moderna, HHS has also rejected or canceled early-stage proposals from major pharmaceutical players like Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone, and others. All told, the axed projects total nearly $500 million. However, some late-stage initiatives will be allowed to proceed in order to protect prior taxpayer investments.
This decision is the latest under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic who has wasted no time launching a sweeping overhaul of America’s public health policies, particularly targeting vaccines, food safety, and medicine regulations.
“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” said Kennedy in a bold statement.
He claimed the terminated vaccine programs were not meeting the mark: “The data clearly shows these vaccines don’t effectively prevent upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu,” though no specific evidence was provided to back this assertion.
Instead, Kennedy announced a strategic pivot: “We’re redirecting that funding into safer, broader vaccine platforms that can hold up even as viruses mutate.”
The timing of this announcement is raising eyebrows. COVID cases are surging once again in the US, kids are heading back to school, and millions are preparing to get fall booster shots for renewed protection. The risk of a fresh COVID wave is now compounded by these sweeping changes.
Before the news broke, virologist Andrew Pekosz of Johns Hopkins University noted that COVID vaccination still offers a layer of protection:
“If you're vaccinated against Covid-19, you're less likely to get infected.”
Still, booster uptake has remained low—and now, with shifting guidance and canceled programs, it may dip even further.
The HHS decision followed what officials described as a comprehensive review of all mRNA investments initiated during the public health emergency of the pandemic.
But not everyone is on board. Dr. Peter Hotez, head of the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital, blasted the move.
“This just promotes their pseudoscience agenda and leaves the nation more vulnerable,” he told CNN.
“mRNA tech, like all tools, has pros and cons—but in a crisis, or for advanced therapies like cancer vaccines, it’s a game-changer.”
Hotez warned that Kennedy’s approach signals a federal retreat from innovation in biomedicine:
“States will now be left to fend for themselves.”
Since taking the reins, RFK Jr. has upended the public health apparatus. He dismantled the longstanding panel of vaccine experts, replacing them with his own appointees. In their first meeting, the new board voted to ban a trusted vaccine preservative, targeted for years by anti-vaxxers, despite decades of proven safety.
He’s also commissioned a massive new study into the debunked link between vaccines and autism, reviving a conspiracy long dismissed by the scientific community.
For context, mRNA vaccines differ from traditional shots. Instead of injecting weakened viruses, they deliver genetic instructions that train the body to fight off invaders by producing harmless copies of the pathogen.
Though the science had been brewing for decades, it was Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed that thrust mRNA into the mainstream. With BARDA’s massive funding, companies like Pfizer and Moderna brought Covid shots to the world in record time.
The breakthrough was so impactful that Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, pioneers of the technology, were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work—credited with enabling the fastest vaccine development during one of humanity’s biggest health crises.
But now, with the government pulling back and redirecting funds, the future of mRNA vaccine innovation in the US may rest increasingly in the hands of private industry and state-level agencies.
Description:
"The US Department of Health and Human Services, led by RFK Jr., cancels 22 federal mRNA vaccine contracts, including deals with Moderna and Pfizer, citing safety concerns. The move marks a bold pivot in U.S. health policy amid rising Covid cases."