Moderna secures $590M in government funding to develop bird flu vaccine

[Craig]

WITH BIRD FLU SPREADING RAPIDLY IN THE UNITED STATES OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS NOW AWARDED MORE THAN HALF-A-BILLION DOLLARS TO PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY MODERNA. THE $590-MILLION WILL GO TOWARD SPEEDING UP THE DEVELOPMENT OF ITS BIRD FLU VACCINE.
ACCORDING TO THE CDC, THERE HAVE BEEN NEARLY 70 CONFIRMED HUMAN CASES
OF BIRD FLU IN THE UNITED STATES INCLUDING ONE DEATH IN LOUISIANA.
THE HIGHLY PATHOGENIC INFLUENZA HAS BEEN RAMPANT IN POULTRY FARMS.
AN OUTBREAK OF BIRD FLU WAS REPORTED IN MARCH OF LAST YEAR IN DAIRY COWS IN TEXAS AND KANSAS. A SIMILAR OUTBREAK OCCURRED, LATER IN THE YEAR, IN DAIRY COWS IN CALIFORNIA. JUST THIS PAST WEEK, BIRD FLU WAS DETECTED IN A LARGE COMMERCIAL CHICKEN PLANT IN GEORGIA.
SINCE 2023, MODERNA HAS BEEN WORKING TO COME UP WITH A PANDEMIC INFLUENZA VACCINE WHICH WOULD PROTECT AGAINST CERTAIN VIRUSES SUCH AS THE H5N1 BIRD FLU. MODERNA PREVIOUSLY DEVELOPED A COVID-19 VACCINE BUT AS COVID HAS DECREASED, SO HAVE ITS SALES.
THIS NEW GOVERNMENT SPENDING WILL FUND THE EXPANSION OF CLINICAL STUDIES OF ADDITIONAL SUBTYPES OF BIRD FLU, PAY FOR LATE-STAGE DEVELOPMENT AND LICENSING OF A VACCINE.
IN 2023, MODERNA INITIATED A STUDY TO GENERATE SAFETY AND IMMUNIZATION DATA OF A BIRD FLU VACCINE SHOT IN HEALTHY ADULTS, AGES 18 AND OLDER. THE TRIAL INCLUDED CANDIDATES AGAINST TWO VIRAL STRAINS, H5 AND H7.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME MODERNA HAS SECURED GOVERNMENT FUNDING TO TRY TO MANUFACTURE AND DEVELOP A BIRD FLU VACCINE. LAST JULY, IT RECEIVED $176 MILLION.
WHILE THE CDC CONSIDERS THE RISK TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC THROUGH HUMAN-TO-HUMAN TRANSMISSION, LOW, IT CONTINUES TO MONITOR ACTIVITY IN PEOPLE EXPOSED TO ANIMALS. IN ADDITION TO MODERNA, NOVAVAX IS ALSO IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A BIRD FLU VACCINE. IT IS CURRENTLY CONDUCTING PRECLINICAL STUDIES. I’M CN FOR MORE UNBIASED UPDATES, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP OR GO TO SAN.COM