In the final months of the Biden administration, a little-known company, Vaccine Company Inc., received $28 million in federal funds from the National Institutes of Health’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). This firm, registered to a post office box in Bethesda, Maryland, has raised concerns due to its lack of public presence and ties to former Biden officials.
Vaccine Company Inc., established in 2022, lists its primary address as a P.O. box in Bethesda. Despite lacking a physical office or laboratory, the company was awarded $28.2 million in September 2024 to develop vaccines targeting viruses like West Nile, dengue, and Zika. The firm’s minimal public footprint and unconventional setup have drawn scrutiny.
Leadership details further complicate the narrative. Sonya Bernstein, a former Biden COVID-19 adviser, is identified as the company’s Chief Financial Officer in a June 2024 California business filing. However, her LinkedIn profile omits this role, highlighting instead her tenure with the Biden administration and prior positions.
Additionally, the company’s Chief Medical Officer, Julie Ledgerwood, previously served with the Department of Health and Human Services and was involved in Operation Warp Speed until May 2022. Her LinkedIn indicates a subsequent position with an unnamed venture-backed company, aligning with Vaccine Company Inc.’s timeline.
The company’s physical location remains ambiguous. Federal records and Maryland business filings list the Bethesda P.O. box as its primary address. However, business registrations in California, Maryland, and Massachusetts each cite different addresses, adding to the opacity surrounding its operations.
Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) has expressed alarm over this grant. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., she questioned the vetting process that led to awarding millions to a company with such an obscure profile.
Ernst emphasized the need for transparency in an interview with Free Beacon, stating:
“From listing its mailing address as a P.O. box to being run by former Biden staffers, there are alarm bells going off as to how and why Vaccine Company, Inc. was awarded a lucrative government contract. Unfortunately, there are more questions than answers, because everything this company does is shrouded in mystery. It should not be this hard to figure out where $28 million in tax dollars are going. The American people deserve to know.”
Ernst went onto write to the newly appointed HHS Secretary, RFK Jr. saying, “Current records indicate $2 million of its $28.2 million ARPA-H award has been spent. I would encourage you to look into clawing back the remaining funds, and seeking reimbursement for the spent funds if in fact this ARPA-H payment to a newly established biotech start-up, run by a recent Biden political appointee, was improperly awarded.”
This situation underscores the importance of stringent oversight in federal funding allocations, especially when substantial sums are directed to entities with limited public records and connections to political figures.
