The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday that Moderna will be given $176 million for its mRNA bird flu vaccine as part of the Biden administration’s preparedness efforts in the event of a widespread outbreak of the infection among humans.
“We have successfully taken lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and used them to better prepare for future public health crises,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press statement on Tuesday. “As part of that, we continue to develop new vaccines and other tools to help address influenza and bolster our pandemic response capabilities.”
Public health officials and scientists have been on high alert since late March when dairy cows first became infected with the highly pathogenic bird flu known as H5N1. Since then, cattle herds in 12 states have tested positive for the virus as of July.
Dawn O’Connell, the assistant secretary for preparedness and response, told reporters on Tuesday that the grant for vaccine development will be given through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
As of now, though, no vaccine is recommended for human use or mitigation efforts, even for dairy workers who are more at risk of contracting the infection.
“I want to emphasize, though, currently, risk to human health from H5N1 is low and vaccination is not recommended for any segment of the population,” O’Connell said. “We are entering this agreement as part of our ongoing preparedness action.”
O’Connell also said that Moderna is as of now expected to start Phase III human clinical trials in 2025. When asked about the exact study design, O’Connell emphasized that the outcome would primarily be to test vaccine safety and efficacy, but the specifics would be confirmed by the Food and Drug Administration at a later date.
Both Pfizer and Moderna, along with other pharmaceutical companies, have been competing for government funding for bird flu vaccine development for several months.
The pharmaceutical giants made historical progress in Operation Warp Speed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although both companies dropped in stock prices during the aftermath of the pandemic, both have seen a steady rise following the bird flu outbreak among cows.
Skepticism over mRNA vaccine technology pioneered during the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled decreasing vaccination rates for various diseases both in the United States and abroad, which may have implications for future bird flu mitigation efforts.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last month proposed the idea that bird flu could have been “bioengineered,” citing significant financial gains for pharmaceutical companies in the event of a widespread outbreak in humans.
“The market knows that our government plans to use mRNA vaccines for emerging infections, regardless of whether the public wants them,” Kennedy said last month.
