The US government gave Moderna $176 million to develop a bird flu vaccine. The funding is intended to support research and development efforts to develop vaccines that can combat bird flu, a viral infection that affects birds and occasionally infects humans.
The influenza A (H5N1) outbreak, commonly known as bird flu, has infected at least 132 dairy cows in 12 states, and three human cases have been linked to exposure to cattle. The virus was first detected in cattle on March 25, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on June 28.
To help prevent this virus, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it will support the development of Moderna’s pandemic influenza vaccine using mRNA technology through the Biomedical Research and Development Agency (BARDA). This technology was successfully used in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, one of the first two vaccines approved and subsequently licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The investment will help develop materials, conduct clinical trials to assess safety and immunity, and obtain FDA approval. It would also ensure that the vaccine is ready for large-scale production in the event of a public health emergency, according to HHS.
Public health experts, including former BARDA director Rick Bright, hailed the funding as an important step in modernizing pandemic response capabilities. Bright said the new synthetic vaccine could produce broader immunity and could be produced quickly without additional additives. However, he raised concerns about the adequacy of testing and transparency in the ongoing H5N1 virus, and said more development is needed in serological testing to track infection and person-to-person transmission.
Bright also criticized the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for not revealing the size and scope of the virus, making it difficult to determine the full extent of infection among cattle. Colorado has emerged as the hottest spot, with 26 flocks reporting bird flu cases this year, representing nearly a quarter of the state’s flocks. Although the number of infected herds has increased, only 53 individuals have been tested for the virus so far, and the USDA’s dairy cow status program is considered limited.
Experts warn that the longer the virus remains untested in animals, the more likely it is to mutate into a form more dangerous to humans. Science writer Christer Watson said the virus risks sticking to human respiratory cells, adding that humans have no natural immunity to the virus.
