Moderna Receives $590 Million From HHS to Develop Bird Flu Vaccine
The US government is entrusting mRNA vaccine pioneers Moderna to develop protection for the gradually increasing threat of avian influenza.
On Friday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) tasked Moderna with developing an mRNA vaccine that protects against H5 and H7 avian influenzas—also known simply as bird flu. HHS awarded Moderna $590 million to improve upon previous mRNA technology as bird flu continues to infect humans and animals, according to US News & World Report.1
“Avian flu variants have proven to be particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, according to a news release.2 “That is why this response has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and HHS.”
In the past year, the US government has already dedicated nearly $1 billion to address the bird flu outbreak. | image credit: ink drop / stock.adobe.com
The first time a human in the US tested positive for bird flu was back in 2022, and it stood alone as the only human case for around 2 years. However, an outbreak among dairy cattle and poultry farms led to an additional 67 humans reporting bird flu infections in 2024 alone. Of those 67 cases, the first death in the US occurred after a patient in Louisiana experienced severe illness; no additional bird flu-related deaths have occurred since.3
READ MORE: Severe Case Results in First US Bird Flu Death
“Accelerating the development of new vaccines will allow us to stay ahead and ensure that Americans have the tools they need to stay safe,” continued Becerra.2 Infectious disease experts and government leaders have continuously relayed sentiments that the bird flu is highly unlikely to become a major public health issue. But as cases climb slowly among humans, and much faster among animals, the US has collectively looked to Moderna for a proactive approach of keeping the population safe and healthy should unforeseen public health issues arise stemming from the bird flu.
“This funding allows Moderna to accelerate development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine that is well matched to strains currently circulating in cows and birds and expands the clinical data supporting the use of mRNA vaccines that may be needed if other influenza strains emerge with pandemic potential,” wrote HHS in its release.2
The newly allocated funding will allow Moderna to focus on 2 possible long-term outcomes. First, these resources will be dedicated to Moderna in order to assist them in creating an mRNA vaccine option to combat bird flu viruses and variants. Secondly, Moderna will also be tasked with further developing its vaccine technology in general to prepare for the potential of a future pandemic stemming from other infectious diseases other than bird flu.
Indeed, Moderna’s mRNA technology was a saving grace for many during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the manufacturer’s version of the COVID-19 vaccine became 1 of 2 approved by the FDA.2 Even more promising for the efficacy of a future Moderna bird flu vaccine, the US already possesses vaccine candidates in the country’s Strategic National Stockpile that would be effective against bird flu. Moderna is simply using its awarded funds to make a new vaccine that’s most effective compared with previous candidates.1
In the past year, the US government has already dedicated nearly $1 billion to address the bird flu outbreak in various states across the country. While human cases have yet to reach a staggering number, and animal-to-animal transmission remains the main route of spreading the virus, humans’ risk of contracting the bird flu still remains quite low. But with a serious and concerted approach from government leaders to be prepared for a possible bird flu-related public health issue, it’s never too early for manufacturers to consider a possible vaccine.
“Moderna also will design up to 4 additional novel pandemic influenza vaccines and test preliminary safety and immunogenicity (generating an immune system response) in phase 1 clinical studies. This work will create the necessary background data to enable accelerated development of an mRNA vaccine targeted to various influenza virus subtypes of pandemic potential. This approach takes advantage of the versatility of Moderna’s mRNA platform, leveraging an existing manufacturing platform capability to support product development across multiple health threats,” concluded the HHS news release.2
READ MORE: H5N1 Bird Flu: A Slowly Looming Public Health Threat
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