The World Health Organization (WHO) has condemned the Trump administration’s decision to terminate 22 federally funded mRNA vaccine projects, calling it a serious setback for a technology widely seen as key to tackling future pandemics.
Joachim Hombach, executive secretary for the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation, told reporters on Thursday that the move was “an unfortunate and untimely” blow to a platform that “served us extremely well” during COVID-19 and holds “very promising” potential for influenza and other emerging threats.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the cancellations — affecting projects worth nearly $500m — follow a comprehensive review of mRNA-related investments made during the pandemic.
The wind-down includes scrapping a contract with Moderna for the late-stage development of its human bird flu vaccine and the right to purchase doses, as well as rejecting proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone and others.
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a long-time vaccine sceptic, defended the decision, claiming — without providing scientific evidence — that “data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu.” He said the funding would be redirected to “safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”
Hombach, however, stressed that mRNA technology remains uniquely valuable in responding quickly to new and pandemic pathogens, as it can be rapidly adapted — unlike traditional vaccines, which require weakened or inactivated forms of the virus or bacteria.
The decision marks another sharp shift in US health policy under Kennedy’s leadership and comes months after President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withdraw the US from the WHO, citing dissatisfaction with its COVID-19 response.
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