The Department of Health and Human Services cut over $750 million in funding for Moderna to develop an mRNA bird flu vaccine for humans.
The Biden administration awarded the vaccine manufacturer a $590 million grant in January from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The funding followed another $176 million award for an mRNA-based H5N1 avian influenza vaccine that HHS granted Moderna in July 2024.
Recommended Stories
- Mars stops using color additive in Skittles highlighted by MAHA as major concern
- HHS issues new guidelines urging healthcare providers to end 'harmful' gender reassignment therapies on children
- Cassidy argues allowing drug companies to profit helps medical industry discover new cures
However, the Trump administration canceled the grants this week, citing concerns that novel mRNA vaccine technology remains “under-tested,” posing a risk to public health.
“After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“This is not simply about efficacy — it’s about safety, integrity, and trust,” Nixon continued. “The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public.”
The Food and Drug Administration allowed mRNA vaccines to be distributed to the public for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic by issuing an emergency use authorization. The authorization allowed vaccine manufacturers Moderna and Pfizer to administer mRNA vaccines to the public before full FDA approval.
Concerns have since been raised that negative side effects of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, including risks of myocarditis, were deliberately downplayed to the public as Biden health officials pushed for expanded vaccination rates during the pandemic.
Findings from a congressional investigation released last week sparked further concerns that the Biden administration withheld critical safety data and downplayed known risks tied to the mRNA COVID-19 products, raising questions about the reliability and transparency of the current evidence base.