The US. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday it was providing Moderna with $590 million to accelerate the development of mRNA vaccines for influenza, including avian flu. The funding comes amid growing concerns about the potential for a new pandemic, department officials said.
The funding will help Moderna “enhance the capabilities of its mRNA platform so that America is better prepared to respond to other emerging infectious diseases,” HHS said in a statement.
The funding allocation will “allow Moderna to accelerate the development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine that is closely matched to strains currently circulating in cattle and birds.”
The aid comes on top of the $176 million Moderna provided in July 2024.
And on Thursday the U.S. government announced $211 million in new funding for a consortium of private and public laboratories to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines against emerging biological threats.
Previous bird flu variants were unpredictable and dangerous to humans.
"That's why this response is a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and HHS," said department secretary Xavier Becerra.
The H5N1 virus is common in wild birds and other animals. Although it has not been conclusively shown to spread from person to person, the amount of bird flu circulating among animals and humans is concerning to scientists.
Many experts worry that H5N1, coupled with seasonal flu, could mutate into a more contagious form and trigger a deadly pandemic.
So far, 67 people in the United States have been infected with bird flu since the outbreak began last year.
The first death from the outbreak in the United States was recorded earlier this month, an elderly man in Louisiana
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