Robert F Kennedy Jr has paused a $200million Biden-era contract to develop a new Covid vaccine due to safety concerns.
The newly appointed health chief issued a 90-day pause last Friday on a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contract with Vaxart Inc, which is working on a new Covid vaccine pill.
About 10,000 patients were set to start clinical trials on Monday.
Kennedy said the trial is paused but not terminated entirely while he and other health officials review Vaxart’s findings so far.
The experimental vaccine was part of the Biden administration’s $5billion Project NextGen plan, which launched in 2023 to develop and streamline new vaccines for a range of diseases.
The move comes as several key vaccine committee meetings were canceled.
The FDA axed its March vaccine advisory committee meeting meant to pick flu strains to be included in next season’s regular vaccine.
Robert F Kennedy Jr (pictured here) ordered a pause on clinical trials for a new oral Covid vaccine
Kennedy blamed ‘failed oversight’ by the Biden administration for safety concerns around the clinical trials. He said: ‘I look forward to working with Vaxart and medical experts to ensure this work produces safe, effective, and fiscal-minded vaccine technology’ (stock image)
And last week, the year’s first meeting of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) – which discusses recommendations on Covid, flu, RSV, HPV, and MPox vaccines – was delayed indefinitely.
Kennedy this week cited potential safety concerns surrounding Covid vaccine production due to ‘failed oversight’ from the Biden administration.
He told Fox News Digital: ‘While it is crucial that the Department [of] Health and Human Services (HHS) support pandemic preparedness, four years of the Biden administration’s failed oversight have made it necessary to review agreements for vaccine production, including Vaxart’s.
‘I look forward to working with Vaxart and medical experts to ensure this work produces safe, effective, and fiscal-minded vaccine technology.’
The Vaxart clinical trial enrolled 10,000 individuals to test an oral tablet Covid vaccine against the mRNA injected vaccines already available to the public.
Previous research on the oral vaccine is not publicly available.
The Vaxart vaccine was funded through an agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), an arm of the HHS’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response.
BARDA had already authorized $240million for the vaccine’s preliminary research out of a $460million obligation, Fox News Digital reported.
The stop-work order prevents Vaxart from invoicing BARDA for the remaining cost of the trials until further notice, though the company can bill the HHS for the costs that come with monitoring patients who took part in initial trials.
During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy assured he would not alter existing vaccine childhood schedules and said he would provide advanced notice to Congress before implementing any changes to vaccine safety guidelines.
However, he also told HHS staff after his confirmation that ‘nothing is off limits’ when it comes to pinpointing the leading causes of chronic illnesses in children, including alterations to national vaccine recommendations.
Other incoming Trump administration officials have signaled a push to suspend Covid vaccines due to safety concerns.
Dr Jay Bhattacharya, who has been nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – part of the HHS – appeared to back the petition Hope Accord, which calls for mRNA vaccines to be paused and retested, DailyMail.com revealed.
Dr Jay Bhattacharya, left, has been nominated by Donald Trump to head up the NIH, while Dr Aseem Malhotra (right with RFK Jr) has reportedly been tapped for an advisory position. Both have called for Covid vaccines to be reinvestigated
Covid vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer are estimated to have saved millions of lives globally, including 3million in the US.
In rare cases – anywhere from one in 50,000 to one in 200,000, experts estimate – the shots have been linked to an increased risk of heart damage and anaphylaxis.
But in a bombshell study released last week, experts from Yale University found mRNA Covid vaccines could be linked to a previously unknown condition called ‘post-vaccination syndrome’ (PVS).
The small study found patients with PVS showed distinct biological changes to their immune systems.
However, Yale experts told DailyMail.com that the results are ‘still a work in progress,’ and it’s unclear how common PVS is.
Covid vaccines are still recommended by the CDC, especially for older or immunocompromised individuals, as they may be at an increased risk of infection.
