Biden admin gave $590 million to Moderna on the way out the door to develop another vax!
https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/moderna-bird-flu-vaccine-funding-barda/737806/
Dive Brief
Moderna gets $590M from US government for bird flu vaccine
The biotech has been working with the support of BARDA to develop candidates that could protect against avian influenza viruses like the H5 and H7 strains.
Published Jan. 21, 2025
Moderna will receive some $590 million from the U.S. government to develop messenger RNA vaccines for influenza strains, such as H5N1, that are seen as potential pandemic risks.
Announced Friday as one of the Biden administration’s final acts, the funding commitment is through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services.
BARDA and Moderna have worked together for years, including previously on the biotechnology company’s vaccine for COVID-19. The new grant expands on one issued to Moderna last summer.
Moderna has been testing mRNA vaccine candidates for pandemic influenza since 2023, when it began a Phase 1/2 study in adults that assessed shots matched to the H5 and H5 avian flu strains. The company is now preparing to advance one candidate, dubbed mRNA-1018, into Phase 3.
The funding announcement came as another case of bird flu in an adult was recently confirmed in California. Since early 2024, there have been 67 cases of confirmed H5 bird flu in humans in the U.S., with one recent severe case in Louisiana that resulted in the individual’s death.The person was over the age of 65 and had underlying medical conditions, the Louisiana Department of Health said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that the overall health risk to the public remains low. The virus has appeared to spread from infected animals or poultry to humans, but person-to-person spread hasn’t been documented in the current outbreak. “Multiple mutations” in the virus would have to happen before it can “spread effectively in humans,” Jefferies analyst Akash Tewari noted in a Monday note to clients.
MRNA-based vaccines are in focus as a potentially faster way to meet any emerging pandemic threat from avian influenza. A few other drugmakers are working on their own candidates for H5N1, including GSK, Arcturus Therapeutics and Pfizer.
“mRNA technology will complement existing vaccine technology, allowing us to move faster and better target emerging viruses to protect Americans’ against future pandemics,” said Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell in a statement.
Moderna’s funding includes support for late-stage development and licensure of pre-pandemic vaccines, as well as further clinical studies for up to five additional subtypes of pandemic influenza.
Moderna said it will present data from its Phase 1/2 trial of mRNA-1018 at an upcoming scientific meeting.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that GSK fully licensed rights to CureVac’s mRNA vaccine candidate for avian influenza.