U.S. pays $590 million to Moderna to speed up development of bird flu vaccine [View all]
Source: NPR
January 18, 2025 3:06 PM ET
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will award $590 million to Moderna to accelerate the development of influenza vaccines, including to protect against bird flu.
"Accelerating the development of new vaccines will allow us to stay ahead and ensure that Americans have the tools they need to stay safe," outgoing HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement on Friday.
The money will go to Moderna, the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company that previously developed a COVID-19 vaccine. Since 2023, Moderna has been working to create a "pandemic influenza vaccine" which would help protect against certain viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu.
The new funds build on the $176 million that HHS gave to Moderna last July. On Friday, Moderna said the additional funding will help pay for late-stage development, licensure of the vaccines and expanding clinical studies for additional subtypes of pandemic influenza to prevent other potential public health emergencies.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2025/01/18/nx-s1-5266868/bird-flu-vaccine-moderna
Link to HHS PRESS RELEASE - HHS Provides $590 Million to Accelerate Pandemic Influenza mRNA-based Vaccine Development, Enhance Platform Capability for Other Emerging Infectious Disease
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