The Trump administration on Tuesday eliminated 22 mRNA vaccine development projects for COVID-19 and bird flu, a stark shift away from technology credited with bringing the United States out of the pandemic.
The decision affects research being conducted at the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been critical of mRNA technology, said in a statement that such vaccines “fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.” That is directly contradicted by scientific research showing the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are more than 90 percent effective at preventing serious illness or death.
HHS said the move signals a broader shift in federal vaccine priorities. BARDA research will now focus more on whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms. The decision does not impact mRNA research at the National Institutes of Health or the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
MRNA vaccines utilize messenger RNA to trigger an immune response. Unlike traditional vaccines that introduce weakened or dead pathogens to the body, mRNA introduces messenger RNA that instructs cells to produce a specific viral protein. The immune system recognizes this protein and prompts the body to develop antibodies.
“We reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
The decision means cancellation of an award to Moderna/University of Texas Medical Branch for an mRNA-based H5N1 vaccine; termination of contracts with Emory University and Tiba Biotech; and de-scoping of mRNA-related work in existing contracts with Luminary Labs, ModeX and Seqirus.
It also means rejection or cancellation of multiple pre-award solicitations, including proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone and others, as part of BARDA’s Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle and its Vaccine Innovations and Therapeutics Acceleration Launchpad Hub.
The authority will restructure collaborations with the Defense Department’s Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense, affecting nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with the Access to Advanced Health Institute, AstraZeneca and HDT Bio.
The administration had already started to phase out trials funded by the Biden-era Project NextGen, which funded clinical trials of new COVID-19 vaccines with the intention of bringing more effective vaccines to market.
BARDA in April issued a stop-work order to the biotech company GeoVax for its clinical trial of a next-generation vaccine.
Public health experts have described the rapid development of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines under Operation Warp Speed as one of the main accomplishments of the first Trump administration. Trump has credited the initiative with saving millions of lives and helping to cut short the pandemic.
MRNA technology is not just used for COVID-19 shots. Scientists have since begun research on and developed mRNA vaccines to prevent certain cancers and genetic conditions.
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