Ars Technica has reached out to the NIH and HHS for remark and can replace this story with any new data supplied. The businesses didn’t reply to remark requests from KFF.
Kennedy’s misinformation
Earlier than changing into the highest well being official in America, Kennedy had lengthy railed in opposition to vaccines, changing into one of many world’s most outstanding anti-vaccine advocates and most prolific spreaders of misinformation and disinformation about vaccines. A 2019 study discovered Kennedy was the only main supply of anti-vaccine advertisements on Fb. Kennedy subsequently confronted bans from YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram for spreading misinformation.
Researchers immediately blame Kennedy and the Trump administration for the assault on vaccine analysis.
“Kennedy’s warfare on vaccines has began,” the mRNA vaccine researcher in Philadelphia informed KFF.
“There won’t be any analysis funded by NIH on mRNA vaccines,” the scientist in New York related informed the outlet. “MAGA persons are satisfied that these vaccines have killed and maimed tens of hundreds of individuals. It’s not true, however they imagine that.”
Kennedy has made varied statements in opposition to vaccines usually, in addition to mRNA vaccines particularly. He falsely claimed the vaccine causes extreme harms, together with inflicting neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Parkinson’s. In 2021, through the top of the pandemic, Kennedy petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke the authorization of COVID-19 vaccines and chorus from approving any future COVID-19 vaccines. A examine in 2022, in the meantime, estimated that the vaccines had saved more than 3 million lives and prevented greater than 18 million hospitalizations.
The NIH’s current strikes aren’t the primary signal that Kennedy will use his highly effective place to assault mRNA vaccines. Late final month, Bloomberg reported that HHS was contemplating canceling a $590 million grant to vaccine maker Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic influenza viruses. That features the H5N1 virus that’s at the moment devastating US poultry and spreading wildly in dairy cows.
An HHS spokesperson informed media on the time that “Whereas it’s essential that the US Division and Well being and Human Companies help pandemic preparedness, 4 years of the Biden administration’s failed oversight have made it essential to evaluate agreements for vaccine manufacturing.”
It stays unclear what is going on with that grant evaluate. Moderna declined to remark when Ars reached out for any potential updates Monday.