This week Kennedy canceled 22 federally funded mRNA vaccine development projects, totaling nearly $500M. His decision will stop research through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), including projects aimed at vaccines for COVID‑19, influenza, and H5N1 bird flu.
I’ll spare you his made-up reasons for canceling the research.
His decision to eliminate federally funded mRNA vaccine research will slow down and possibly stop research to develop faster, more adaptable mRNA-based influenza vaccines, which hold the potential to be updated more rapidly and accurately in response to emerging flu strains (unlike traditional vaccines which rely on months-long egg-based production).
Kennedy is stopping the clinical trials, delaying technological refinement, and reducing the pace at which mRNA flu vaccines can be brought to market.
Editorial Note: By ending publicly funded mRNA research for infectious diseases, Kennedy is surrendering leadership in this critical biotech field to global competitors. The EU & China are heavily investing in mRNA platforms for pandemic preparedness and seasonal illness, positioning themselves to dominate future vaccine innovation and production.
In essence, Kennedy’s decision risks long-term U.S. dependence on foreign technologies and undermines America’s ability to lead in global health security.
Kennedy hasn’t canceled mRNA research for cancer immunotherapy and personalized therapeutics yet. Promising therapies in those areas stay intact at the NIH with over 120 mRNA cancer therapy clinical trials underway ($656M) including Phase 3 mRNA‑4157 studies for multiple kinds of cancers.
For example, Moderna’s melanoma vaccine and BioNTech’s personalized ‘neoantigen’ cancer therapies continue to show enormous promise for curing certain kinds of cancer including pancreatic and skin cancers… an example of the kinds of cancer trials he hasn’t canceled (yet).
Kennedy’s decision to redirect infectious disease vaccine research away from mRNA approaches will slow some progress, but it won’t end mRNA-based medicine. Private investment and biotech industry leadership as well as the EU and China recognize the promise this new technology and many U.S. companies will continue research in these areas on their own.
So much for Making America Healthy Again.
