Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has paused a multimillion-dollar Biden-era contract to develop a new COVID-19 vaccine.
On Friday, Kennedy issued a 90-day stop-work order on the HHS contract with biotech company Vaxart Inc., which was set to begin clinical trials involving 10,000 participants. The trial is paused, not canceled, as Kennedy and health officials review initial findings before determining next steps.
The vaccine was part of the Biden administration’s $4.7 billion Project NextGen initiative, launched in 2023 to accelerate vaccine development. Vaxart received funding through an agreement with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which allocated $460 million to the project, with $240 million already authorized for preliminary studies.
“While it is crucial that 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 said. “I look forward to working with Vaxart and medical experts to ensure this work produces safe, effective, and fiscal-minded vaccine technology.”
The decision comes just weeks after Kennedy was sworn in as the 26th HHS secretary. On the same day, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating the Make America Healthy Again Commission, led by Kennedy, to investigate chronic childhood diseases such as autism.
