Reports indicate that the Trump administration is shifting blame for child deaths to COVID-19 vaccination, leading to a sharp decline in biotechnology stocks

On Friday, December 12th, Eastern Time, media reports emerged that the Trump administration linked the causes of several children's deaths to the administration of COVID-19 vaccines and is considering restricting the scope of vaccination.

This news has drawn investor attention, with market concerns quickly spreading throughout the biotechnology sector, as investors closely monitor the potential impact of policy changes on the vaccine industry. Biotech stocks listed in the U.S. experienced a sharp decline.

At the beginning of the U.S. stock market's midday session, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index saw its intraday decline widen to 1.5%. Among the index's constituents, the German company BioNTech, which is developing a COVID-19 vaccine, led the decline, falling over 10% at one point. Its competitor in COVID-19 vaccine development, Moderna, dropped over 7%.

Other constituents included Trevi Therapeutics, which fell nearly 9%, Sutro Biopharma down 8.5%, and Precigen, Arcturus Therapeutics Holdings Inc., Tarsus, Travere Therapeutics, Personalis, Arbutus Biopharma, and KalVista Pharmaceuticals, which dropped between 7.49% and 5.27%.

Another biotech company developing a COVID-19 vaccine, Novavax, saw its intraday decline exceed 4%. BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine development partner, Pfizer, experienced a relatively smaller drop, falling over 3% at midday.

Commentary pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccine is almost the only source of revenue for Moderna, while Pfizer has a larger and more diversified product portfolio.

Questionable Data Sources Raise Market Concerns About Policy Impact

Media reports on Friday indicated that health officials from the Trump administration would report relevant findings to advisors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) next week.

The reports noted that the information regarding the 25 cases of child deaths came from the U.S. federal government's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The officials' findings linking COVID-19 vaccines to child deaths appear to be based on information submitted to that system, which collects reports that have not been verified.

VAERS collects a large amount of unfiltered data aimed at detecting signs of adverse effects early. Anyone can submit a report, and the system does not verify details or prevent duplicate submissions. Some media have reported that scientific researchers indicate this pattern increases the difficulty of drawing definitive conclusions.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not yet responded to requests for comments from other media. Market participants are closely monitoring further developments from the Trump administration regarding vaccine policy.

The significant decline in the biotechnology sector reflects market concerns about policy uncertainty and a reassessment of the future prospects of the vaccine industry.

The Trump administration had already begun to restrict the scope of vaccination. Last month, the FDA limited the approval of COVID-19 vaccines to high-risk populations, whereas previously, everyone over six months old was eligible for vaccination Investors are concerned that if the Trump administration further tightens vaccination policies, it could have a significant impact on the business of vaccine manufacturers, especially for companies that heavily rely on COVID-19 vaccine revenue