Facing a brutal run, battered vaccine makers still see cause for hope 

Daniel covers the intersection of the health industry and the federal government. He reports on corporate influence in government, the health consequences of federal policies, and the politics of health care. Confidential tips can be sent on Signal at danielp.100.

SAN DIEGO — It is an unusual time to be in the vaccine business. But in the view of those gathered here at the BIO international conference this week, it’s not altogether a bleak one.

In fact, some vaccine makers are feeling more optimistic than they were a year ago — considering the circumstances, at least.

In interviews with STAT, they acknowledged that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine critic, has brought once-unthinkable disruptions — the cancellation of major mRNA vaccine contracts, the dismantling of universal vaccine recommendations, cuts to government funding for research — and that Washington could deliver more ahead.