By Jeff CollerAug. 6, 2026
Coller is Bloomberg distinguished professor of RNA biology and therapeutics at Johns Hopkins University and a co-founder of the Alliance for mRNA Medicines.
On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration’s approved mFlusiva, the first mRNA seasonal influenza vaccine ever licensed in this country. In June the agency’s own advisory committee voted unanimously that its benefits outweigh its risks in adults 50 to 64, then unanimously again for adults 65 and older. Nine independent experts, appointed by this government, could not produce a single vote against it.
Wednesday was also an anniversary. On Aug. 5, 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services killed 22 mRNA vaccine development projects worth roughly $500 million and ordered a halt to federal investment in the platform.
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did not hedge about why. He claimed the data showed these vaccines fail to protect effectively against upper respiratory infections like Covid and flu, and that the money would move to safer platforms. He also told the country the technology poses more risks than benefits and can prolong pandemics, neither of which the evidence supports.
