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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has axed hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts that would have developed mRNA-based vaccines, citing data that suggests such treatments do little to nothing to protect against respiratory viruses.
The contracts and funding were reviewed by the HHS’s Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), he said this week.
“Over the past few weeks, BARDA reviewed 22 mRNA vaccine development investments and began canceling them,” he explained in a video statement.
Kennedy presented an explanation for why these investments were axed, noting the ineffectiveness of mRNA technology.
“Here’s the problem: mRNA only codes for a small part of viral proteins, usually a single antigen, one mutation, and the vaccine becomes ineffective,” Kennedy explained. “This dynamic drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift, meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine.”
Kennedy highlighted the wave of Omicron viral infections linked to the COVID-19 virus in late 2021, which many people caught despite being vaccinated with the COVID-19 immunization.
“That’s because a single mutation can make mRNA vaccines ineffective,” he said. “The same risk applies to flu.”
Kennedy said that after thoroughly reviewing mRNA research and talking to top experts in the field, the HHS has determined that these vaccines pose more risks than benefits when it comes to treating respiratory viruses.
BARDA has begun the process of canceling all 22 contracts associated with mRNA vaccine development, totaling just under $500 million.
Secretary Kennedy has made many integral changes at the Department of Health and Human Services. In May, he announced the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from recommended vaccine schedules for healthy children and pregnant mothers. He has also begun a multi-tiered plan to phase out synthetic dyes from the nation’s food supplies by 2027.