The Commissioner of the Department of Public Health, Dr. Robbie Goldstein, joined GBH’s Morning Edition to talk about the FDA reversing course after initially refusing to look at Cambridge-based Moderna’s new mRNA flu vaccine, the federal government’s abandonment of climate regulations and the most recent rise in measles cases. The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Marc Herz: A top FDA official initially overruled career scientists on accepting an application for Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine. And six months ago, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Killed $500 million in mRNA vaccine development. Here he is speaking about that:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: We canceled 22 trials for upper respiratory infectious, but right now we’re developing a universal vaccine at NIH.
Dr. Robbie Goldstein: Well, there’s a lot to respond to in those two comments that you’ve made. Let’s start with Secretary Kennedy’s remarks about a universal vaccine. I think people need to understand this has been of interest to NIH for many years, and we’re talking about a potential vaccine that could protect people from a number of respiratory viruses. And that would be a great thing. We should continue to move forward with that research, but that vaccine is not eminent. That vaccine has not been developed. That vaccine hasn’t gone through clinical trials. What happened with FDA’s decision recently, and then the reversal of the decision, is that they had a vaccine that was here, ready to be manufactured, ready to go out the door, and ready to into arms to protect people against the flu. It’s a vaccine that uses a well-established technology, mRNA technology, to improve protection against flu, especially for those who are most vulnerable, those that are 65 and older who we know have an increased risk for flu. The reversal of the decision is great news. We should celebrate that, but it will have long-lasting implications. FDA and HHS going back and forth on their decisions, making decisions that are political and ideological rather than science-based is gonna chill the market. It’s going to result in manufacturers maybe being more wary about bringing a vaccine to a clinical trial, investing in the research that’s necessary. And ultimately that’s going to impact health.
Herz: And we’re having a severe flu season right now, so we need it, right?
Goldstein: We do. We always need new and better flu vaccines. One of the great things about mRNA technology is that it’s quick and it’s adaptable. So if we think about this flu season ... we had developed a flu vaccine about a year ago from now. It was the late winter, early spring of 2025. And then over the summer, we saw that the flu virus started to mutate. And in other parts of the world, that mutated virus was causing more infection, more hospitalization, but we didn’t have time to adjust the vaccine before it got to the U.S. Market. MRNA technology helps us do that. It helps us to do it faster. It takes about three months from the time we develop the vaccine to when we can get it manufactured and out into arms.
Herz: Next, let’s talk climate change. Last week, the Trump administration stripped the EPA of its ability to regulate climate-based pollution. Here’s what President Trump had to say about such pollution. Here’s President Trump addressing that:
President Donald Trump: It has nothing to do with public health. This is all a scam, a giant scam.
Goldstein: Respectfully, I disagree with the president on this. This has everything to do with public health. What we’re talking about here is a finding from nearly 20 years ago, when the EPA recognized that pollution, in particular, pollution from cars, from trucks, from automobiles, that that pollution has an impact on human health, right? Not only does it directly affect people with asthma and other lung diseases, but it contributes to greenhouse gasses. And to the warming of our planet and the impacts of climate change, which we know are having impacts on human health. By reversing this decision, the Trump administration is directly taking aim at human health, at public health. And so they need to acknowledge that their decision has everything to do with public health, just as much as it has to do with the environment and how we regulate the automobile industry.
Herz: And when you’re talking about stuff coming out of tailpipes, we’ve got plenty of that here in Massachusetts, right?
Goldstein: We certainly do, and taken together with other actions by the Trump administration, this is only going to worsen the pollution that we have from automobiles. They’ve moved away from electric vehicles and from investing in renewable energy sources. They moved away from all of the technology that we know was actually helping us reverse the effects of climate change, and hopefully would lead to better health for people. This decision by the Trump administration, if upheld, will really have long-lasting implications on human health.
Herz: Lastly, we want to ask you about this rise in measles cases over the last few months, particularly in the South. And just this week in New England, Maine started seeing its first confirmed cases since 2019. How worried should we be about this?
Goldstein: Well, I think we have to recognize that here in Massachusetts, we have an incredible amount of immunity against measles. We have some of the highest rates of vaccination of our children going into kindergarten, into high school, into college, including for the measles vaccine. And those rates have actually stayed high year-after-year, even with the Trump administration and the rhetoric from Secretary Kennedy. But Maine is just to our north, right? This is really knocking on our doorstep, and it means we have to remain vigilant. We have to continue to talk about the benefits of measles vaccination, make sure that our pediatricians and families know about those benefits so that they can get kids vaccinated so we don’t end up with pockets of low vaccination rates across the state.
Herz: How many kids would be vulnerable if measles starts coming across the border?
Dr. Robbie Goldstein: It really depends on what community. There are parts of this state where we have incredibly high levels of vaccination, 98%, 99%, close to 100% of children vaccinated. And then there are other parts of the state, particular geographies, where the rates are much lower, closer to 85% and maybe lower in some parts. Those areas would be at particular risk. And the Department of Public Health has been working with local public health not just in the past year, but for many years. To get vaccination rates up in those communities, giving people the knowledge that they need so that they can protect themselves and their family.
