The Department of Health and Human Services is canceling the development of 22 mRNA vaccines, citing a lack of efficacy for preventing respiratory viruses like the flu and COVID-19.

The department issued a press release late Tuesday announcing a “coordinated wind-down” of mRNA vaccine development under the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA. 

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The 22 affected projects are worth nearly $500 million, including a vaccine contract with Moderna for H5N1 bird flu. 

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he and his team “reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted.” 

“BARDA is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development investments because the data show these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu,” Kennedy said. We’re shifting that funding toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.”

In a video address posted on X, Kennedy said that mRNA vaccine technology only “only codes for a small part of the viral proteins, usually a single antigen,” or a singular part of the virus. 

Kennedy said that if the virus mutates and changes its structure too much, the vaccine designed to create antibodies to attack a particular part of the virus would be rendered “ineffective.”

“This phenomenon drives a phenomenon called antigenic shift, meaning that the vaccine paradoxically encourages new mutations and can actually prolong pandemics as the virus constantly mutates to escape the protective effects of the vaccine,” said Kennedy in the video address. 

Kennedy said mRNA technology “poses more risk than benefits for these respiratory viruses.”

The secretary said that the department will prioritize the development of whole-virus vaccines instead of vaccines designed to trigger immunity to only portions of a virus.

In May, the NIH launched a $500 million project to create a universal flu vaccine, or one that does not need to be changed from season to season and confers immunity regardless of mutations on the surface of the virus.

Kennedy’s leadership at HHS has made many public health experts nervous because he has made much of his career on anti-vaccine rhetoric and the debunked premise that ingredients in vaccines cause autism. 

However, many of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” supporters have criticized him in recent weeks for giving undue deference to the medical establishment by not quickly eliminating federal funding for mRNA vaccines. 

The press announcement noted that “other uses of mRNA technology within the department” are not being canceled. 

“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,” said Kennedy.