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US Government Awards Moderna $176 Million for mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine


As fears of a pandemic mount, the biotech company’s mRNA vaccine trial is set to release Phase 1/2 results later this year, with a larger Phase 3 trial expected to begin in 2025 to combat bird flu.

The US government will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA vaccine against a pandemic influenza —an award given as the highly pathogenic bird flu virus H5N1 continues to spread widely among US dairy cattle. “mRNA vaccine technology offers advantages in efficacy, speed of development, and production scalability and reliability in addressing infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in the announcement. “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with BARDA to expedite our development efforts for mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines and support the global public health community in preparedness against potential outbreaks.”

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