Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), paused a Biden administration-era contract for the development of an oral COVID-19 vaccine.
Speaking of the matter to Fox News Digital, Kennedy said, “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.”
He noted that he looks forward to “working with Vaxart and medical experts to ensure this work produces safe, effective, and fiscal-minded vaccine technology.”
The contract’s pause is set for 90 days. The oral vaccine was part of the Biden administration’s $4.7 billion Project NextGen effort from 2023. Project NextGen was led by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The initiative was designed to “accelerate and streamline the rapid development of the next generation of vaccines and treatments through public-private collaborations.”
Former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement upon announcing the now-paused initiative that in order to “better prepare for future public health crises,” the government must find “new ways to administer vaccines to make it even easier for everyone to protect themselves from illness.”
“We are making progress on the development of cutting-edge treatments, such as vaccines administered as a nasal spray or as a pill. The Biden-Harris Administration won’t stop until we have the next generation of innovative vaccines, therapeutics, and other tools to protect against COVID-19, or any other pathogen that could threaten the American public,” he said.
