The Trump administration has reportedly canceled two contracts totaling $776 million to the pharmaceutical company Moderna for the development of a bird flu vaccine for humans.
The terminated contracts include $590 million awarded on January 17, 2025 under the Biden administration “to accelerate the development of mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines and enhance mRNA platform capabilities” and $176 million awarded in 2024 to “complete late-stage development and testing of a pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccine against the H5N1 avian influenza.”
Moderna announced the cancellation of the award in a statement Wednesday, while also touting the “positive interim data” from its Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials for mRNA-1018.
“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis,” Moderna said.
Earlier this year, HHS said it would be reviewing Biden-era agreements related to vaccine production.
An HHS spokesperson said that after a comprehensive internal review, the agency had determined that the project did not meet the scientific standards or safety expectations required for continued federal investment.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is among a large number of doctors, medical experts and scientists who have questioned the safety of the mRNA vaccine platform for COVID and other diseases.
Epidemiologist Nicolas Hulscher called the news “a very positive development” that “marks a major policy shift away from dangerous mRNA injection programs.”
Vermont-based lawyer and farmer John Klar said it was a “sensible decision,” noting the seasonal nature of the virus and its waning virulence.
Dr. Clayton Baker, an internal medicine physician, commented that the contract cancellation was “absolutely the right decision.”
“The mRNA gene therapy platform, as demonstrated by the multiple toxicities of the COVID-19 shots, is fundamentally unsafe and should be removed from use altogether,” Baker said.
Renowned cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. Government “should not be in the vaccine-development business.”
Moderna, according to Reuters, had been “banking on revenue from newer mRNA shots, including its bird flu vaccine and experimental COVID-flu combination vaccine,” to make up for the waning demand for its COVID injections.
“Moderna can spend their own dollars on R&D if they think they can bring a product to market like any other drug company,” McCullough stated on X. “[The] mRNA platform has not been proven safe for human use outside of clinical trials.”