Robert F Kennedy, Jr (RFK Jr) has announced plans to cut government funding to messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine development run by the US emergency health preparedness agency.
Impacting the work of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), the health secretary will terminate 22 mRNA vaccine development initiatives worth $500m – including projects with big pharma players such as Sanofi and Pfizer.
Go deeper with GlobalData
When asked about contract cancellations with BARDA, a Moderna spokesperson told Pharmaceutical Technology that the company was unaware of any impact from the BARDA funding halt, stating the only termination due to funding cuts from the US Government from 2025 was with its bird flu contract, which was announced in May.
The HHS announcement, however, states that restructuring of collaborations with the US Department of Defense’s Joint Program Executive Office (DoD-JPEO) will affect nucleic acid-based vaccine projects with Access to Advanced Health Institute (AAHI), AstraZeneca, HDT Bio, Moderna and the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).
Though some mRNA contracts in their final stages – namely, deals with biotech companies Amplitude and Arcturus – will be allowed to continue until completion, RFK Jr is ceasing the initiation of new research projects involving this vaccine technology.
This decision does not impact other mRNA-based technology initiatives run by the agency.
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By GlobalDataRFK Jr’s choice to revoke mRNA vaccine funding is primarily linked to his claims that the modality is unable to “protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like Covid and flu”.
RFK Jr also claimed that “mRNA technology poses more risk than benefits” to public health when used as a treatment for upper respiratory conditions such as Covid and the flu, though studies contradict this statement.
Moving forward, government funding will go towards broader vaccine platforms with favourable safety credentials that move “beyond the limitations of mRNA”, with RFK Jr citing whole-virus vaccines as a primary focus.
BARDA is not the first government agency to experience significant research funding cuts under the Trump administration, with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) experiencing a 10% budget loss in June.
BARDA declined a request for comment on the funding halt when approached by Pharmaceutical Technology.
Meanwhile, funding for the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) has been reduced from $9.2bn in 2024 to $4.2bn to accommodate the government’s new health agency, Administration for a Healthy America (AHA), signifying a notable shift in government healthcare priorities.
What the future holds for mRNA vaccines
Though RFK Jr’s outspoken scepticism of vaccines is nothing new, funding re-allocations could “signal a significant shift in US public health strategy”, noted healthcare executive and industry adviser, Dr Bornadata Pain, in a LinkedIn post.
She also stated that the change “raised questions about the government’s role in supporting innovative, yet still-developing technologies”.
Though this development will be a setback for mRNA-focused biotechs, big pharma does not appear to be shying away from the modality. According to a report from GlobalData, parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology, the value of mRNA licensing deals held 800% more value in 2024 than in 2019. mRNA technology was accelerated in 2020 due to the modality being central to all Covid vaccinations.
This trend is primarily driven by the success of Covid vaccines such as Moderna’s Spikevax and BioNTech and Pfizer’s Comirnaty, which generated sales of $18.4bn and $42.4bn in 2022, respectively, according to a GlobalData report.
Meanwhile, GlobalData forecasts that the mRNA vaccine market will continue to grow, increasing in value from $11bn in 2024 to $17.9bn in 2030.
Shares of key sector players such as Moderna and BioNTech remain stable, with values reducing by 2.8% and increasing by 0.21% respectively, suggesting that investors still have hope for the modality.
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