US Health Secretary RFK Jr halts funding for vaccines to fight Covid-19 and flu
Robert F Kennedy Jr announced that 22 projects, totalling $500m (€432m), to develop vaccines using mRNA technology will be halted. This is despite infectious disease experts deeming the vaccines safe and effective.
'We're shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate,' Kennedy said in a statement. 'Let me be absolutely clear: HHS supports safe, effective vaccines for every American who wants them.
'That's why we're moving beyond the limitations of mRNA and investing in better solutions.'
Kennedy's decision to terminate the projects is the latest in a string of decisions that have put the long-time vaccine critic's doubts about jabs into full effect at the nation's health department.
Since taking office, Kennedy, who spent two decades sowing misinformation around immunisation, has overseen a major overhaul of US health policy – firing, for example, a panel of vaccine experts that advise the government and replacing them with his own appointees.
In its first meeting, the new panel promptly voted to ban a longstanding vaccine preservative targeted by the anti-vaccine movement, despite its strong safety record.
He has also ordered a sweeping new study on the long-debunked link between vaccines and autism.
Last month, he told a meeting of the Vaccine Alliance Gavi that
the US would be pulling funding from the organisation indefinitely
until the global health organisation has 're-earned the public trust'.
Though in development for decades, mRNA vaccines were propelled from lab benches to widespread use through US President Donald Trump's Operation Warp Speed – a public-private partnership led by BARDA that poured billions into companies to accelerate development.
The technology's pioneers, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, were awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine for their work contributing 'to the unprecedented rate of vaccine development during one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.
RFK criticised mRNA vaccines in a video on his social media accounts, explaining the decision to cancel projects being led by the nation's leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, that offer protection against viruses like the flu, Covid-19 and H5N1.
Advertisement
'To replace the troubled mRNA programs, we're prioritising the development of safer, broader vaccine strategies, like whole-virus vaccines and novel platforms that don't collapse when viruses mutate,' Kennedy said in the video.
'Dangerous decision'
Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe, and they credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Future pandemics will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA.
'I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,' said Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations.
He noted mRNA technology offers potential advantages of rapid production, crucial in the event of a new pandemic that requires a new vaccine.
The shelving of the mRNA projects is short-sighted as concerns about a bird flu pandemic continue to loom, said Dr Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
'It's certainly saved millions of lives,' Offit said of the existing mRNA vaccines.
Scientists are using mRNA for more than infectious disease vaccines, with researchers around the world exploring its use for cancer immunotherapies. At the White House earlier this year, billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison praised mRNA for its potential to treat cancer.
Traditionally, vaccines have required growing pieces of viruses, often in chicken eggs or giant vats of cells, then purifying that material.
The mRNA approach starts with a snippet of genetic code that carries instructions for making proteins. Scientists pick the protein to target, inject that blueprint and the body makes just enough to trigger immune protection — producing its own vaccine dose.
In a statement yesterday, the health department said 'other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement'.
The mRNA technology is used in approved Covid-19 and RSV jabs, but has not yet been approved for a flu jab.
Moderna, which was studying a combination Covid-19 and flu mRNA vaccines, had said it believed mRNA could speed up production of flu jabs compared with traditional vaccines.
The abandoned mRNA projects signal a 'shift in vaccine development priorities', the health department said in its statement, adding that it will start 'investing in better solutions'.
Additional reporting by AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
5 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Robert F Kennedy Jr cuts $500m in vaccine funding for viruses like Covid
Robert F Kennedy Jr announced that 22 projects, totalling $500m, to develop vaccines using mRNA technology will be halted. Mr Kennedy's decision to terminate the projects is the latest in a string of decisions that have put the long-time vaccine critic's doubts about jabs into full effect at the US health department. Mr Kennedy has pulled back recommendations around the Covid-19 jabs, fired the panel that makes vaccine recommendations, and refused to offer a vigorous endorsement of vaccinations as a measles outbreak worsened. The health secretary criticised mRNA vaccines in a video on his social media accounts, explaining the decision to cancel projects being led by the country's leading pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, that offer protection against viruses like the flu, Covid-19 and H5N1. '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,' Mr Kennedy said in the video. I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe, and they credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Future pandemics will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA. 'I don't think I've seen a more dangerous decision in public health in my 50 years in the business,' said Mike Osterholm, a University of Minnesota expert on infectious diseases and pandemic preparations. He noted mRNA technology offers potential advantages of rapid production, crucial in the event of a new pandemic that requires a new vaccine. The shelving of the mRNA projects is short-sighted, as concerns about a bird flu pandemic continue to loom, said Dr Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. 'It's certainly saved millions of lives,' Mr Offit said of the existing mRNA vaccines. Scientists are using mRNA for more than infectious disease vaccines, with researchers around the world exploring its use for cancer immunotherapies. ADVERTISEMENT At the White House earlier this year, billionaire tech entrepreneur Larry Ellison praised mRNA for its potential to treat cancer. Traditionally, vaccines have required growing pieces of viruses, often in chicken eggs or giant vats of cells, then purifying that material. The mRNA approach starts with a snippet of genetic code that carries instructions for making proteins. Scientists pick the protein to target, inject that blueprint and the body makes just enough to trigger immune protection - producing its own vaccine dose. In a statement on Tuesday, the health department said 'other uses of mRNA technology within the department are not impacted by this announcement'. The mRNA technology is used in approved Covid-19 and RSV jabs, but the technology has not yet been approved for a flu jab.
Irish Independent
5 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Trump and Putin set to meet as early as next week, US allies told
The announcement has raised hopes that an end to the conflict could be in sight after more than three years of intense fighting. After speaking by phone to the American president, Mr Zelensky said he believed Russia was 'now more inclined to a ceasefire'. The positive signs came during a day of intense diplomatic activity. Mr Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, met in Moscow with Putin, the Russian president, for three hours. At the same time, Mr Trump intensified his pressure on Moscow with fresh sanctions and declared Russia to be an 'extraordinary threat' to the United States. Mr Trump said he would hit India with a further 25pc trade tariff over its purchase of Russian oil, a vital source of income for the Kremlin. In a call with European leaders, Mr Trump set out his plan to meet with Putin as soon as next week, according to the New York Times. The first meeting would include only Putin and Mr Trump, followed by sessions with Mr Zelensky, and would not include any of their European counterparts. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for more information about the meeting plans. 'My special envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin,' he posted on Truth Social. ADVERTISEMENT 'Great progress was made! Afterwards, I updated some of our European allies.' At the same time, a senior administration official said secondary sanctions were still set to be imposed on countries trading with Russia tomorrow. 'The meeting with Russia and special envoy Witkoff went well,' the official said. 'The Russians are eager to continue engaging with the United States. The secondary sanctions are still expected to be implemented on Friday.' For his part, Mr Zelensky sounded an optimistic note. 'It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire, the pressure on them is working,' he said. 'But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in detail, neither us nor the United States.' Yesterday brought a hectic slew of developments as Mr Trump continues to push for an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire, which would then pave the way for talks to establish a permanent peace deal. After Mr Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow, Mr Trump issued an executive order imposing tariffs on India and toughening his rhetoric on the threat from Moscow. 'I have received additional information from various senior officials on, among other things, the actions of the government of the Russian Federation with respect to the situation in Ukraine,' Mr Trump said. 'After considering this additional information, among other things, I find that … the actions and policies of the government of the Russian Federation continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.' The language marked a significant shift from earlier this year, when Mr Trump went out of his way to placate Putin in order to coax him to the negotiating table. It is not clear what the 'additional information' is and White House officials did not respond to requests for more details. 'I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to impose an additional ad valorem duty on imports of articles of India, which is directly or indirectly importing Russian Federation oil,' Mr Trump added in the executive order. Mr Trump had suggested that Mr Witkoff's meeting with Putin – their fifth – would determine any decision for the US president to follow through on threats to impose tariffs on countries buying Russian energy. India and China are among the countries buying the most Russian crude oil, which analysts say provides key revenues for Putin to fuel his war machine in Ukraine. A top Russian presidential aide described the talks as 'useful and constructive'. 'Russia had conveyed signals to the American side on the Ukrainian issue and received corresponding signals from Trump,' Yuri Ushakov told reporters after talks wrapped up. Bloomberg reported yesterday that the Kremlin might propose a moratorium on airstrikes by Russia and Ukraine. Although this would offer some relief to both sides, it would fall short of the full ceasefire that Ukraine and the US have been seeking for months. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Mr Zelensky, said that a full ceasefire and a leaders' summit were required. 'The war must stop and for now this is on Russia,' he said on Telegram. Since direct peace talks resumed in May, Russia launched its heaviest airstrikes of the war, while Ukraine has continued to target Russian refineries and oil depots. Meanwhile, Mr Zelensky accused Russia of deliberately striking a gas station to disrupt preparations for winter heating – an attack that Russia claims was targeting military-related infrastructure. Ukraine's energy ministry said the strike on the station near the Ukraine-Romania border was directed 'purely against civilian infrastructure' and targeting relations with Azerbaijan, the US and European partners. 'If the Russians are allowed to strike at our energy infrastructure and gas routes with impunity, then no infrastructure facility in Europe will be safe,' Ukraine's energy minister Svitlana Grinchuk said. 'Impunity only expands terror. That is why Russia must be held accountable for what it has done.'
Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips
US President Donald Trump has said he will impose a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely raising the cost of electronics, autos, household appliances and other goods deemed essential for the digital age. The Republican president said that companies who make computer chips in the US would be spared the import tax. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a shortage of computer chips increased the price of cars and contributed to an uptick in overall inflation. His announcement came as Apple chief executive Tim Cook joined Mr Trump at the White House on Wednesday to announce a commitment by the tech company to increase its investment in US manufacturing by an additional 100 billion dollars (£74.9 billion) over the next four years. Today's announcement is one of the largest commitments in what has become among the greatest investment booms in our nation's history 'This is a significant step toward the ultimate goal of ensuring that iPhones sold in the United States of America also are made in America,' Mr Trump said at the press conference. 'Today's announcement is one of the largest commitments in what has become among the greatest investment booms in our nation's history.' As part of the Apple announcement, the investments will be about bringing more of its supply chain and advanced manufacturing to the US as part of an initiative called the American Manufacturing Programme, but it is not a full commitment to build its popular iPhone device domestically. 'This includes new and expanded work with 10 companies across America. They produce components — semiconductor chips included — that are used in Apple products sold all over the world, and we're grateful to the president for his support,' Mr Cook said in a statement announcing the investment. The new manufacturing partners include Corning, Coherent, Applied Materials, Texas Instruments and Broadcom among others. Apple had previously said it intended to invest 500 billion dollars (£374 billion) domestically, a figure it will now increase to 600 billion dollars (£449 billion). Mr Trump in recent months has criticised the tech company and Mr Cook for efforts to shift iPhone production to India to avoid the tariffs his Republican administration had planned for China. While in Qatar earlier this year, Mr Trump said there was 'a little problem' with the Cupertino, California, company and recalled a conversation with Mr Cook in which he said he told the businessman 'I don't want you building in India'. India has incurred Mr Trump's wrath, as the president signed an order on Wednesday to put an additional 25% tariff on the world's most populous country for its use of Russian oil. The new import taxes to be imposed in 21 days could put the combined tariffs on Indian goods at 50%. Apple's new pledge comes just a few weeks after it forged a 500 million-dollar deal with MP Materials, which runs the only rare earths producer in the country. That agreement will enable MP Materials to expand a factory in Texas to use recycled materials to produce magnets that make iPhones vibrate. Speaking on a recent investors call, Mr Cook emphasised that 'there's a load of different things done in the United States'. As examples, he cited some of the iPhone components made in the US such as the device's glass display and module for identifying people's faces and then indicated the company was gearing to expand its productions of other components in its home country. 'We're doing more in this country, and that's on top of having roughly 19 billion chips coming out of the US now, and we will do more,' Mr Cook told analysts last week, without elaborating. News of Apple's latest investment in the US caused the company's stock price to surge by nearly 6% in Wednesday's midday trading. That gains reflect investors' relief that Mr Cook 'is extending an olive branch' to the Trump administration, said Nancy Tengler, chief executive of money manager Laffer Tengler Investments, which owns Apple stock. Despite Wednesday's upturn, Apple's shares are still down by 14% this year, a reversal of fortune that has also been driven by the company's botched start in the pivotal field of artificial intelligence.
