A man receives his first dose of the Pfizer vaccine, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, during a vaccination clinic at the Longs Peak Student Center at Front Range Community College in Fort Collins. (Jon Austria/The Coloradoan/USA TODAY NETWORK)
Trump administration officials previously hinted at the potential that this funding could be terminated, citing a lack of oversight during the Biden administration pertaining to vaccine production.
"After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable," HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said. "This is not simply about efficacy — it’s about safety, integrity, and trust. The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public."
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced earlier this week that the federal government would be removing the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine from the list of federally recommended vaccines for kids and pregnant women. (Getty Images/Fox News)
"Rather than provide the public and health care providers with immediate and transparent information regarding the risk of myocarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration waited until late June 2021 to announce changes to the labels for the Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines based on the ‘suggested increased risks’ of myocarditis and pericarditis," the Senate report states. "Even though CDC and FDA officials were well aware of the risk of myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination, the Biden administration opted to withhold issuing a formal warning to the public for months about the safety concerns, jeopardizing the health of young Americans."
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In response to the Trump administration's funding termination, Moderna put out a press release acknowledging the move, but also touting the "safety profile" observed amid its work on a new mRNA bird flu vaccine.
"While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis of the Phase 1/2 study of our H5 avian flu vaccine and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program," said Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna. "These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats."
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/hhs-slams-under-tested-mrna-technology-trump-cuts-modernas-vaccine-funding