U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday announced the termination of 22 federal projects valued at $500 million aimed at developing mRNA-based vaccines for respiratory viruses including COVID-19, H5N1, and influenza.
The decision, made under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), marks a significant policy shift, drawing sharp criticism from medical experts and triggering public protest during Kennedy’s press appearance in Anchorage, Alaska.
Kennedy, a longtime vaccine skeptic, said in a video posted to his social media that the nation’s leading pharmaceutical firms — including Pfizer and Moderna — would lose federal contracts as part of what he described as a transition toward “whole-virus vaccines” and other “safer, broader” immunization strategies.
“To replace the troubled mRNA programs, we’re prioritizing the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies,” Kennedy said. “Strategies that don’t collapse when viruses mutate.”
Since taking office, Kennedy has scaled back COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, dismissed the vaccine advisory panel, and withheld strong endorsements even amid a worsening measles outbreak. His remarks on Tuesday indicated that his department now seeks a so-called “universal vaccine” based on natural immunity models — an unproven concept.
Meanwhile, public health experts reacted with alarm. Dr. Mike Osterholm, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Minnesota, called the move “the most dangerous decision in public health in 50 years.”
Dr. Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia echoed those concerns, warning the cancellation comes at a critical time as bird flu concerns escalate globally.
Outside the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium building, protesters gathered holding placards decrying the cancellation as a betrayal of science and public safety.
Despite the backlash, HHS clarified that other uses of mRNA within the department such as cancer research will not be affected. The mRNA platform, once hailed for helping curb the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, is also under development for various diseases and cancer immunotherapy.
At the press conference, Kennedy stood alongside Alaska’s Republican senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, reaffirming that “HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them.”
However, the administration’s redirection of vaccine funding underscores its skepticism toward mRNA and its broader shift in national health policy under Kennedy’s leadership.
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