The US Department of Health and Human Services will award $590 million to Moderna to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu, the pharmaceutical company announced Friday. In 2023, Moderna initiated a study on a “pandemic influenza vaccine” to protect against H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses. In July, the company received $176 million from HHS toward its vaccine efforts. Moderna plans to advance research on the mRNA vaccine into a phase 3 trial after receiving positive results in earlier phases, which it plans to present at a scientific conference in the near future.
“Avian flu variants have proven to be particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past. That is why this response has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and HHS,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement Friday. “Accelerating the development of new vaccines will allow us to stay ahead and ensure that Americans have the tools they need to stay safe.” Read more