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Welcome to The Logoff: In a blow to US pandemic preparedness, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced on Tuesday evening that he was slashing $500 million in federal mRNA vaccine contracts.
What is HHS cutting? Twenty-two mRNA vaccine projects, intended to combat respiratory viruses like bird flu, are set to be wound down following the announcement.
What is mRNA? mRNA, or messenger RNA, is the reason the US had safe, effective Covid-19 vaccines available as early as it did. A promising but still unproven technology prior to the pandemic, mRNA allowed pharmaceutical companies to develop effective vaccines far more rapidly and more adaptably than was once possible.
What’s the context? Kennedy has long made false claims about mRNA vaccines, including describing the Covid-19 vaccine as “the deadliest vaccine ever made.” On Tuesday, he falsely stated that mRNA vaccines “don’t perform well against viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract,” such as Covid. In fact, by one estimate, the Covid vaccines saved some 2.5 million lives.
What are the implications of the cuts? Tuesday’s announcement is bad news for two distinct reasons.
As far as Kennedy is concerned, this is just the latest reminder that he is who he always appeared to be, and only partially covered up while seeking to be confirmed as the secretary for the US Department of Health and Human Services: not a fair “skeptic” but an anti-vaccine advocate who will use his power to impose unscientific beliefs on US public health infrastructure.
For the country, vaccine experts say Tuesday’s news is a real blow to efforts to prepare for the next pandemic, the arrival of which is a question of when and not if. mRNA vaccines have proved to be one of our best tools for saving lives, and the US will now be further behind in developing new vaccines than it otherwise would be. The consequence is likely to be measured in human lives.
And with that, it’s time to log off…
mRNA vaccines are just one recent example of the miracle of modern medicine — another is this story from the New York Times, about new treatments for cardiac amyloidosis, a type of heart failure. The disease was once overwhelmingly fatal, but several recently approved drugs are changing that, reducing mortality by 25 percent or more. Another drug, still in development, could even help reverse the disease’s progress, rather than merely stopping its advance. I think that’s pretty hopeful — thanks for reading, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow!
