The US Department of Health and Human Services has decided to spend nearly $600 million on the development of a bird flu vaccine.
According to CNN, HSS on Friday, January 17, 2025, announced that it will award $590 million to Moderna to resume the development of the bird flu vaccine.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement, “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.”
“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,” he added.
Moderna in 2023 initiated a study on a “pandemic influenza vaccine” for protection against H5 and H7 avian influenza viruses. In July HHS granted the biotechnology company $176 million.
Moderna stated, “The project will provide additional support for late-stage development and licensure of pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccines. The agreement will also support the expansion of clinical studies for up to five additional subtypes of pandemic influenza.”
The US does not have vaccines for H5 viruses in the Strategic National Stockpile, and after witnessing a spike in bird flu cases in 2024, President Joe Biden's administration in January 2025 also announced more than $300 million to help in preparation and monitoring of the influenza virus.
