The Trump administration has revoked a contract previously awarded to Moderna, a leading pharmaceutical company. This contract was for the latter stages of development of a vaccine against bird flu for human use, as well as the subsequent purchase of the vaccine, according to the drugmaker.
We should note that Moderna had earlier, in January, been awarded $590 million by the Biden administration. This was to further the development of its bird flu vaccine and to support the expansion of clinical studies for up to five additional subtypes of pandemic influenza.
This development follows earlier reports that Moderna had been granted an additional $176 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the previous year. The purpose of this funding was to complete the late-stage development and testing of a pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccine against the H5N1 avian influenza.
Moderna has stated that it intends to explore other avenues for the late-stage development and manufacturing of the vaccine. The company also announced that it had received promising interim data from a mid-stage trial designed to test the safety and immunogenicity of its bird flu vaccine targeting the H5 avian influenza virus subtype.
To conclude, the Trump administration withdrew funding for Moderna’s bird flu vaccine, leaving the future development of this vaccine uncertain. These developments underscore the importance of continued vigilance in the pursuit of public health.
