Scripps News speaks with vaccine experts who say HHS funding cuts targeting mRNA vaccines could hinder other vaccine research and development.

Washington

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced that the Department of Health will reduce nearly $500 million in funding for mRNA vaccine development for respiratory infections such as COVID-19 and the flu. While Kennedy states that funding for oncology and cancer-related mRNA research will continue, several researchers and experts warn that advances in one area often support progress in others, and that these cuts could slow the development of vaccines for diseases like cancer.

Kennedy has cited concerns about the effectiveness and safety of mRNA vaccines for respiratory infections, but health experts argue that the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been extensively studied and found to be highly effective. Some experts, including a former Surgeon General, caution that reducing funding for mRNA technology could have serious public health consequences.

Experts worry about Kennedy’s mRNA vaccine cuts

Dr. Elias Sager is working on groundbreaking research toward a universal cancer vaccine. The research relies on mRNA technology, and the University of Florida oncologist and professor worries similar research could be set back after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the Department of Health is winding down nearly $500 million in mRNA vaccine development for respiratory infections like COVID and the flu. It creates concern about, well, are these other areas potentially going to be affected? And even if they're not affected, the concern also is all of these areas learn from each other. In an exclusive interview with Scripps News, Secretary Kennedy said funding is not being pulled from other types of research. We're still doing the research on oncology, on cancers, where it may be very, very effective. But Sager and multiple other vaccine researchers and experts told us pulling funding from one area of vaccine development could impede efforts to develop vaccines for other diseases, including cancer. Our work with mRNA cancer vaccines has absolutely been propped up by the research and the discoveries made with mRNA vaccines for infectious disease, absolutely. Kennedy says mRNA vaccines have failed to effectively protect against upper respiratory infections and has cited health risks from the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Health experts told us that while there are risks from any vaccine, the COVID vaccine proved incredibly effective. The mRNA COVID vaccines are probably at this point our best studied vaccines. There's been billions of doses that have been administered and what have we learned? We learned that they're remarkably effective. While just some funding from mRNA vaccine development is being cut for now, the ripple effects could prove costly. President Trump's former Surgeon General saying, quote, people are going to die because we're cutting short funding for this technology.

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Breakdown