U.S. Awards Moderna $590 Million for mRNA-Based H5N1 Bird Flu Vaccine Development

Jan 17, 2025, 10:36 PM

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded Moderna Inc. $590 million to accelerate the development of an mRNA-based vaccine against bird flu, specifically targeting the H5N1 strain. This funding will support late-stage development, including Phase 3 trials, and licensure of pre-pandemic mRNA vaccines, as well as expand clinical studies for up to five additional subtypes of pandemic influenza. The initiative, involving the mRNA-1018 vaccine candidate, is part of the Biden-Harris Administration's efforts to respond to emerging disease threats, with HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra emphasizing the importance of new vaccines to protect against unpredictable and dangerous avian influenza variants. Moderna's work on this vaccine follows a previous $176 million award from HHS in July 2024. The urgency of this development is underscored by recent human cases of bird flu in the U.S., including a reported death in Louisiana, though the risk to the general public remains low according to the CDC.