US EditionUS bets $500 million on universal vaccines, WSJ reports
- On May 1, 2025, HHS announced a $500 million upfront grant for an in-house universal flu vaccine developed at NIAID by Jeffery Taubenberger and Matthew Memoli in the U.S.
- The funding came from a COVID-focused $1.3 billion BARDA Project NextGen fund, while Memoli had overseen major NIH cuts eliminating over 800 grants worth $2 billion.
- The vaccine uses older technology largely abandoned since the 1970s, contrasting with advanced mRNA COVID shots by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech, which represented cutting-edge approaches.
- Experts noted the initial safety trial involved 45 patients with no major side effects but cautioned that focusing large resources on one candidate is risky and data remain limited.
- The announcement raised concerns about scientific arbitrariness and conflicts of interest, but some experts welcomed investment in respiratory vaccines despite worries over de-emphasizing COVID efforts.
83 Articles
83 Articles
Trump team's $500 million bet on old vaccine technology puzzles scientists
The Trump administration's unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology and was just one of more than 200 such efforts.
News Medical
Trump team’s $500 million bet on old vaccine technology puzzles scientists
The Trump administration's unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology, and was just one of more than 200 such efforts.
'It’s mind-blowing': Scientists puzzled by Trump team’s $500 million bet on old technology
The Trump administration’s unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology, and was just one of more than 200 such efforts.Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shifted the money from a pandemic preparedness fund to a vaccine development program led by two scientists whom the administ…
kffhealthnews.org
Trump Team’s $500 Million Bet on Old Vaccine Technology Puzzles Scientists
The Trump administration’s unprecedented $500 million grant for a broadly protective flu shot has confounded vaccine and pandemic preparedness experts, who said the project was in early stages, relied on old technology, and was just one of more than 200 such efforts. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. shifted the money from a pandemic preparedness fund to a vaccine development program led by two scientists whom the adminis…
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