Kennedy may believe that his department, charged with oversight, should actually engage in oversight. From Brenda Baletti, Ph.D., at childrenshealthdefense.org:
Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. put the brakes on a multi-million dollar contract with the American biotech company Vaxart to create a new COVID-19 vaccine, Fox News Digital reported.
Kennedy on Feb. 21 issued a 90-day stop-work order on the contract until HHS determines whether it is “prudent and safe” to continue. The order came just as the next phase of the company’s clinical trial, involving 10,000 participants, was set to start on Monday.
In this phase of the trial, the company is planning to test the efficacy of its vaccine against existing mRNA vaccines, bypassing a placebo-controlled assessment.
“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,” Kennedy told Fox News Digital.
“I look forward to working with Vaxart and medical experts to ensure this work produces safe, effective, and fiscal-minded vaccine technology,” he said.
Fox News Digital reported that the trial is only paused, not terminated. HHS will decide whether to resume development of the vaccine within the next 90 days.
The development of Vaxart’s new COVID-19 vaccine was part of the Biden administration’s $4.7 billion Project NextGen initiative, launched in 2023 to develop innovative vaccines — like oral pills and nasal sprays — that are easier to administer and provide improved protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Project NextGen is the successor to the Trump administration’s “Operation Warp Speed,” launched in March 2020 to expedite the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Similar to Operation Warp Speed, Project NextGen — with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation — encourages public-private partnerships.
