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STAT+: mRNA, once lauded as a scientific marvel, is now a government target
The sharp turnaround on mRNA vaccines shows the unprecedented rise of anti-vaccine activists to power
WASHINGTON — mRNA, a Nobel-winning technology harnessed by Trump officials to create Covid shots in record time, is becoming a political reject as the nation’s leaders openly embrace vaccine skepticism.
Republican lawmakers and federal health officials alike are shunning messenger RNA, a basic building block of biology that proved its value during Covid, and that holds promise for combating the next pandemic and unlocking new cancer treatments. Public health experts and biotech companies are watching in horror as the government cuts its investments in the technology, and as officials like health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. foment deep distrust of mRNA vaccines.
On Wednesday, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed it was canceling more than $700 million worth of contracts with Moderna to develop, test, and license mRNA vaccines for flu strains that could cause future pandemics, including the H5N1 bird flu virus.
