HHS Pauses Multi-Million Dollar Contract to Develop New COVID-19 Vaccine

Clinical trials for a new COVID-19 vaccine were halted after a multi-million contract authorized by the Biden administration to develop the inoculation was paused by Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Kennedy implemented a 90-day stop-work order on Feb. 21 regarding the HHS contract with Vaxart Inc., according to the announcement, which was first reported by Fox News Digital on Feb. 25.

Vaxart, an American biotech company, is creating a new COVID-19 inoculation for oral use.

Before the stop-work order, 10,000 individuals were scheduled to start clinical trials on Feb. 24, an HHS spokesperson confirmed with The Epoch Times.

Kennedy noted in comments to Fox News Digital that “it is crucial” that the 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.”

The trial is not terminated, according to the HHS.

Related Stories

Kennedy and other health officials will determine the next steps after reviewing their findings over the next 90 days.

As part of the Biden administration’s $4.7 billion Project NextGen program launched in 2023, the Vaxart vaccine was funded through an agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

That panel is part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which is managed by HHS.

BARDA allocated around $460 million for Vaxart to develop the new vaccine, including $240 million that has already been approved.

The announcement to pause Vaxart’s contract was followed by a report that an Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vaccine advisory committee meeting slated for March has been canceled, according to committee member Dr. Paul Offit, who is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a vocal critic of Kennedy.

Offit told multiple media outlets on Feb. 26 that members of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee received an email from the FDA letting them know the meeting would not take place. The meeting had been set to choose the strains for next season’s flu shot.

The FDA is one of 13 agencies under the HHS umbrella.

On Feb. 28, a World Health Organization (WHO) advisory committee is scheduled to gather and discuss which strains should be included in the next flu vaccines across the Northern Hemisphere. The FDA often adheres that that committee’s recommendations.

Trump issued an executive order in January to start the process of withdrawing the United States from the WHO.

Kennedy serves as chairman of the commission, which directs executive departments and federal agencies to primarily advise the president on how to “address the childhood chronic disease crisis.”

The MAHA Commission is tasked to explore possible causes of such diseases, including “the American diet, absorption of toxic material, medical treatments, lifestyle, environmental factors, government policies, food production techniques, electromagnetic radiation, and corporate influence or cronyism.”

For years, critics have called Kennedy an “anti-vaxxer,” a claim he has denied.

During his presidential campaign and the Senate confirmation process, he repeatedly said he is an advocate for vaccine safety, informed consent, and “gold standard science” behind vaccine efficacy studies.

“I’ve never been anti-vaccine,” Kennedy told The Epoch Times in September 2024. “People should have a choice, and that choice should be informed by the best information possible.

“I’m going to ensure that there are science-based safety studies available, and people can make their own assessments about whether a vaccine is good for them.”

Under the Biden administration, COVID-19 vaccines were mandated throughout the federal government.

Multiple private sector businesses, and public and private universities, also required the inoculation.

Since Trump took office last month, he has signed several executive orders related to COVID-19 mandates implemented by the Biden administration.

In his first week back in office, Trump reinstated service members dismissed for refusing the COVID vaccine, giving them full back pay and benefits.

“I’m not going to come in here and impose my belief over any of yours,“ Kennedy said. ”Instead, we’re going to work together to launch a new era of radical transparency.

“Only through radical transparency can we provide Americans with genuine informed consent, which is the bedrock and the foundation stone of democracy.”

The Feb. 21 decision to pause Vaxart’s contract and subsequent COVID-19 vaccine trial reflects Kennedy’s vow to study vaccine efficacy and safety.

The ACIP was scheduled to meet in Atlanta from Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.

ACIP conducts public meetings at least three times a year—typically in February, June, and October—to review recommendations and new vaccine data before voting on proposals.

The CDC director does not have to adopt ACIP’s recommendations but often does as was the case with COVID-19 vaccines used during the pandemic.

In his first address to HHS employees, Kennedy also said that he will review the childhood vaccine schedule.

He added that the MAHA Commission will investigate anti-depressants, vaccines, and pesticides to determine if they have played a role in the rise of chronic disease in the United States.

This year, more health care professionals have spoken out about the need for increased study of vaccine efficacy and safety.

In January, the western province of Alberta in Canada released a 269-page report—the first of its kind—examining the information and data that informed its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Gary Davidson, an emergency physician and primary author of the report, told American Thought Leaders that the study discovered that pandemic lockdowns, masking mandates, and vaccine mandates all failed to achieve their intended results.

“There’s just so much data out there. The Nordic countries did a huge study—millions of people, showing that if you’re under 50 years old, and if you don’t have any really good reason, you probably shouldn’t get this vaccine,” Davidson said. “And so that’s what we recommend doing in Alberta.”

Dr. Robert Redfield served as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during Trump’s first term.

“Let’s get that systematically reviewed by the experts.”

Jacob Burg and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.