"The department cited Moderna’s use of the messenger RNA technology, which it said “remains under-tested,” for the cancellation of the funding."
"The Department of Health and Human Services is pulling millions of dollars it had committed to give Moderna to aid the effort to develop a vaccine to combat the bird flu in humans, the company announced Wednesday.
Under President Joe Biden, HHS had announced its intent last summer to award $176 million and then a subsequent $590 million in January to Moderna amid an outbreak of bird flu in dairy cattle. The virus has infected 70 people since last year, and federal health officials had previously described the effort as critical to strengthening the country’s pandemic preparedness.
The company was developing vaccines using messenger RNA — the same technology used in the most commonly administered coronavirus vaccines hailed as a major medical achievement during the first Trump administration. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been critical of mRNA vaccines, and this week he announced that the coronavirus shots would no longer be recommended for healthy children and healthy pregnant women. The termination reflects ongoing tensions between Kennedy and medical experts who say the vaccines have been proved to be safe and effective."
Rachel Roubein and Lena H. Sun report for the Washington Post May 29, 2025.
SEE ALSO:
"CDC Blindsided As RFK Jr. Changes Covid-19 Vaccine Recommendations" (Washington Post)
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