Health
H.H.S. Scraps Studies of Vaccines and Treatments for Future Pandemics
The Trump administration has canceled funding for dozens of studies seeking new vaccines and treatments for Covid-19 and other pathogens that may cause future pandemics.
The government’s rationale is that the Covid pandemic has ended, which “provides cause to terminate Covid-related grant funds,” according to an internal N.I.H. document viewed by The New York Times.
But the research was not just about Covid. Nine of the terminated awards funded centers conducting research on antiviral drugs to combat so-called priority pathogens that could give rise to entirely new pandemics.
“This includes the antiviral projects designed to cover a wide range of families that could cause outbreaks or pandemics,” said one senior N.I.H. official who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
The vaccine research also was not focused on Covid, but rather on other coronaviruses that one day might jump from animals to humans.
Describing all the research as Covid-related is “a complete inaccuracy and simply a way to defund infectious disease research,” the official said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, has said that the N.I.H. is too focused on infectious diseases, the official noted.
The funding halts were first reported by Science and Nature. The cancellations stunned scientists who had depended on the government’s support.
“The idea that we don’t need further research to learn how to treat health problems caused by coronaviruses and prevent future pandemics because ‘Covid-19 is over’ is absurd,” said Pamela Bjorkman, a structural biologist at Caltech who had been studying new vaccines.
The goal of the projects was to have vaccines and drugs ready if a new pandemic hit, rather than spending precious months developing them from scratch.
“In the last pandemic, we really were caught with our pants down,” said Paul Bieniasz, a virologist at Rockefeller University who was collaborating with Dr. Bjorkman.
“And if we don’t learn that lesson and prepare better for the next pandemic, we are unlikely to do better than we did last time.”
Dr. Bieniasz, Dr. Bjorkman and their colleagues were developing a vaccine that might protect against a wide range of coronavirus species.
The researchers discovered new strategies to coax the immune system to learn how to recognize molecular features common to more than just one type of virus. Results from animal experiments were promising.
But now, with their funds abruptly cut, the scientists said they doubted they could build on those results. Dr. Bieniasz said that the termination had left him “angry, disappointed, frustrated.”
Other scientists had been working on antiviral treatments, part of a program started in 2021.
With $577 million in support from the N.I.H., a nationwide network of labs had been studying how viruses replicate, and then searching for drugs that could block them.
The researchers focused on viral families that include some of the most worrisome pathogens known, such as Ebola and Nipah virus. Scientists had discovered a number of promising molecules and were advancing toward clinical trials.
Reuben Harris, a molecular virologist at UT Health San Antonio, said that the promising compounds uncovered by the program included an antiviral drug that stops Ebola and related viruses from entering cells.
“It could be deployed to help a lot of people fast,” Dr. Harris said.
It looked as if some compounds might work against a number of virus families. “It’s some of the most exciting science I’ve seen in my career,” said Nevan Krogan, a systems biologist at the University of California, San Francisco.
On Wednesday morning, Dr. Krogan and dozens of his colleagues gathered in a campus meeting room to review those results. And they also discussed what, if anything, they could do now.
“One student asked me, ‘Well, I have an experiment booked on this microscope tomorrow — can I do it?’” Dr. Krogan said. “And I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t know.’”
Dr. Harris said that, without ongoing support, the promising drugs he and others had found would not move into clinical trials. “It’s tragic — I don’t have too many words to describe that right now,” he said.
In 2023, Mr. Kennedy said that he wanted to take “a break” from infectious disease research to focus instead on chronic disease.
Jason McLellan, a virologist at the University of Texas at Austin who worked on the antiviral program, saw the cancellations of pandemic research as following through on that promise.
Dr. McLellan, whose earlier research was fundamental to the creation of Covid vaccines in 2020, said this week’s cuts made him wonder if he could continue studying pandemics in the United States.
“We’ve had conversations and are beginning to put plans into motion to gather more information,” he said, referring to the possibility of moving abroad.
“My lab is a structural virology lab that focuses on structure-based vaccine design,” he added. “If the focus is on chronic diseases, that doesn’t leave much funding for us.”
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Comedian Amy Schumer, 44, has recently come clean about her struggle with Cushing’s syndrome, leading to a dramatic weight loss.
Schumer’s transformation has sparked conversation online, to which she responded in a now-deleted Instagram post that shut down speculation about cosmetic enhancements.
“I didn’t lose 30lbs — I lost 50,” she emphasized on social media, adding that she does not get Botox or filler.
AMY SCHUMER DROPPED 50 POUNDS TO BATTLE DISEASE THAT ‘CAN KILL YOU’ IF UNTREATED
Schumer doubled down that her weight loss was not about her appearance, but about staying alive.
“Not to look hot, which does feel fun and temporary,” she said. “I did it to survive. I had a disease that makes your face extremely puffy that can kill you, but the internet caught it and that disease has cleared.”
Amy Schumer attends Variety’s 2024 Power of Women: New York event on May 2, 2024, in New York City on the left. On the right, Schumer later poses for a photo posted to Instagram after her weight loss. (Marleen Moise/WireImage; Amy Schumer/Instagram)
“Sorry for whatever feeling it’s giving you that I lost that weight,” she added. “I’ve had plastic surgery over the years and I use [Mounjaro]. Sorry to anyone they let down. I’m pain free. I can [play] tag with my son.”
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The actress also addressed her shifting hormones, saying that she’s “happy to share more if anyone has any questions about how I’m looking or feeling or where I am in my perimenopause process.”
“I didn’t lose 30lbs — I lost 50,” Schumer emphasized on social media, adding that she does not get Botox or filler. (Amy Schumer/Instagram)
What is Cushing’s syndrome?
Schumer previously revealed that she had been diagnosed with Cushing’s syndrome, a hormonal disorder that can cause extreme swelling, fatigue and potentially fatal complications.
Dr. Peter Balazs, a hormone and weight loss specialist in New Jersey, provided more details on the condition in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Cushing’s syndrome is caused by prolonged, high exposure to cortisol, which is your body’s main stress hormone,” he said. “Usually, the excess cortisol is a result of prolonged steroid use. We see this many times with patients who have some autoimmune disorder.”
Balazs said the “key” to Cushing’s syndrome is not just weight gain, but a “specific redistribution” of fat caused by too much cortisol.
Amy Schumer is photographed during a guest interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Feb. 13, 2024 (left), and later seen walking through midtown New York City on Oct. 28, 2025 (right). (Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images; Raymond Hall/GC Images/Getty Images)
Fat may be driven to the abdomen, chest, upper back (referred to as a “buffalo hump”) or face, sometimes considered “moon face,” the doctor said.
Cortisol also breaks down protein, which leads to a thinning in the arms and legs. “Weight gain can be tough, involuntary and hard to manage,” Balazs added.
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Cortisol stimulates “hunger centers” in the brain, raises blood sugar and promotes fat storage, especially deep belly fat, according to the doctor.
Cushing’s syndrome can also cause high blood pressure, bone loss and sometimes type 2 diabetes, per Mayo Clinic.
In addition to weight gain in certain areas, other symptoms may include pink or purple stretch marks on the stomach, hips, thighs, breasts and underarms, as well as acne, slow wound healing, and thin, frail skin that bruises easily.
With Cushing’s syndrome, fat may accumulate in the abdomen, chest, face or upper back (referred to as a “buffalo hump”). (iStock)
Women with Cushing’s syndrome often experience thick, dark hair on the face and body, as well as irregular periods. Symptoms among men can include a lower sex drive, reduced fertility and erectile dysfunction.
Mayo Clinic listed other potential symptoms, including extreme fatigue, muscle weakness, depression, anxiety, irritability, mood swings, trouble with concentration and memory, headache, sleeplessness, skin darkening and stunted growth in children.
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Those with symptoms should contact their doctor immediately, especially if they are taking steroids to treat health issues like asthma, arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease, as these medications can exacerbate the condition.
The Mayo Clinic has reported that the “sooner treatment starts, the better the chances for recovery.”
“I’ve had plastic surgery over the years and I use [Mounjaro],” Schumer stated in a social media post. (George Frey/Bloomberg)
For patients like Schumer, weight loss is typically not the main goal, Balazs noted, but it is a “critical sign” of successful treatment.
“The primary goal is to normalize your high cortisol levels,” he said. “I believe Amy Schumer got treated first for her underlying problem. Once the cortisol is normalized, which is the most important step, there’s a role to use adjunct medications to decrease weight.”
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Among GLP-1s, Mounjaro is an “excellent choice to decrease deep belly fat and increase insulin sensitivity of cells,” Balazs added.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Giang-Paunon contributed to this report.
Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s rep requesting comment.
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