The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it will wind down messenger-RNA vaccine development under its Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, canceling 22 federal contracts valued at nearly $500 million. The terminated agreements cover a range of respiratory-virus projects, including late-stage work on Moderna’s H5N1 bird-flu shot and research proposals from Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, CSL Seqirus, Gritstone and Emory University. Pending solicitations for similar work have also been withdrawn. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said a departmental review found that mRNA vaccines "fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like COVID and flu." He said the money will be redirected to whole-virus and other vaccine platforms that he described as broader and safer against viral mutation. Public-health leaders condemned the decision, warning it strips the United States of one of the fastest and most adaptable tools for combating emerging pathogens. Michael Osterholm called it “one of the most dangerous decisions in public health in 50 years,” and the American Medical Association said ending BARDA’s mRNA work creates a national-security vulnerability. While the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense will continue mRNA research, the BARDA cut marks a sharp reversal from Operation Warp Speed, the 2020 program that used federal funds to accelerate mRNA vaccines. Industry groups say the policy could push investment and jobs overseas and slow development of mRNA-based cancer and rare-disease therapies.