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NIH director offers reason for cutting vaccine contracts

4 11
14.08.2025
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Health Care

Health Care

 

The Big Story

NIH director: Lack of public trust led to contract cuts

Leader of the National Institutes of Health Jay Bhattacharya is offering a new explanation on why the federal government is pivoting away from investing in mRNA platforms.

© AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Bhattacharya said in a recent episode of the podcast “War Room” and then again in an opinion piece in The Washington Post, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) chose to cancel millions of dollars in mRNA contracts because the American public does not trust the technology.

His reasoning differs from the explanation HHS Secretary Kennedy gave for canceling $500 million worth of mRNA contracts last week. Kennedy justified the move by claiming the technology does not meet “current scientific standards.”

Bhattacharya called mRNA a promising technology that could lead to better treatments for diseases like cancer. But he expressed concern over just how much antigen mRNA vaccines produce and leave in the body, even though other types of vaccines share the same issue and are considered safe and effective.

Bhattacharya blamed public distrust in mRNA on vaccine mandates and other public health safety measures issued under the Biden administration, arguing that his administration did not properly address concerns about the vaccine’s safety and efficacy.

“As a vaccine intended for broad public use, especially during a public health emergency, the platform has failed a crucial test: earning public trust,” he wrote.

“No matter how elegant the science, a platform that lacks credibility among the people it seeks to protect cannot fulfill its public health mission.”

Bhattacharya received national attention during the COVID-19 pandemic for being an outspoken critic of lockdown measures and vaccine mandates.

 

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