Washington (USA), 6 August (LaPresse/AP) – The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will cancel some contracts and withdraw funding for the development of vaccines against respiratory viruses such as Covid and influenza. Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that 22 projects totalling $500 million aimed at developing vaccines based on mRNA technology will be discontinued. Kennedy Jr. criticised mRNA vaccines in a video posted on his social media, explaining the decision to cancel projects led by major US pharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer and Moderna, which offer protection against viruses such as influenza, Covid and H5N1. ‘To replace the problematic mRNA programmes, we will prioritise the development of safer and broader vaccine strategies, such as whole-virus vaccines and new platforms that do not collapse when viruses mutate,’ the secretary said. Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe and credit its development – during the first Trump administration – with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Without the help of mRNA, they warn, it will be more difficult to contain future pandemics.
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