The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has decided to halt the contract and pull $500 million (£376m) in funding for the mRNA vaccine development and research.
According to Associated Press, US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, in a statement on Tuesday, August 5, announced that the department will stop 22 projects that are working on the development of vaccines using mRNA technology.
As per HHS, the projects that will be halted include major pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna that are working on the vaccines to counter viruses like flu, COVID, bird flu, and other viruses.
The health secretary in a video on his social media criticised mRNA vaccines, claiming that the technology “poses more risks than benefits for these respiratory viruses."
RFK Jr stated, “To replace the troubled mRNA programmes, we’re prioritising the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don’t collapse when viruses mutate.”
Meanwhile, an infectious disease expert has declared mRNA technology in vaccines safe and believes that it helped during the COVID-19 pandemic and will also help in fighting any future outbreaks.
Notably, this is not the first time when Kennedy has stopped vaccine projects, as he previously changed the advice about COVID-19 shots, fired the vaccine recommendation panel and refused to endorse vaccines during the measles outbreak.
