FDA weighs a new kind of flu shot based on technology RFK Jr. has questioned
The FDA is nearing a decision on whether to approve Moderna's mRNA-based flu vaccine after an initial rejection and subsequent reconsideration. The approval process has become a focal point of debate due to the skepticism surrounding mRNA technology expressed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Why it matters
This decision represents a critical test for the future of mRNA research and the influence of political leadership on federal regulatory health agencies.
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Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. has long questioned the value of mRNA vaccine technology. And soon the Food and Drug Administration will decide whether to approve a new kind of flu shot built on mRNA.
How the agency rules on the experimental vaccine made by Moderna has big implications for the future of mRNA research.
Public Health Public health experts dismayed by RFK Jr.'s defunding of mRNA vaccine research In February, Moderna president Stephen Hoge was at one of the company's manufacturing sites, when the head of regulatory affairs, Charbel Haber, approached him.
Almost immediately Hoge knew something was wrong.
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