The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reportedly now investing $500 million in a new initiative aimed at developing universal vaccines for various viruses, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
This project, named “Generation Gold Standard,” will utilize traditional vaccine technology involving chemically inactivated whole viruses, similar to the methods used for flu vaccines decades ago.
Current flu vaccines rely on synthetic viral proteins or fragments.
The goal of this initiative is to create vaccines that provide broad protection against multiple strains of viruses, including influenza, coronaviruses, and RSV.
This marks a strategic shift for HHS, moving away from current COVID-19 projects and reallocating funds from previously cut programs. Under former President Joe Biden, HHS had initiated a $5 billion project called NextGen, focused on developing new COVID vaccines.
However, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has labeled NextGen as “wasteful,” leading to stop-work orders on several projects.
“Generation Gold Standard” aims to offer Americans a cost-effective and accountable alternative to existing COVID vaccines and therapeutics.
Trials for a universal flu vaccine are expected to begin next year, with plans for trials of a universal coronavirus vaccine to start by 2026, targeting FDA approval by 2029.
Key figures in the project include Dr. Matthew Memoli, principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Dr. Jeffery Taubenberger, acting director of the NIH’s infectious diseases institute.
Secretary Kennedy emphasized the commitment to grounding vaccine innovations in rigorous science and transparency.
Additionally, NIH will discontinue funding aimed at understanding vaccine hesitancy, scaling back over 40 related grants to better align with current priorities. This reflects a broader shift in HHS’s approach to vaccine development and public health strategy.
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