The US government has awarded $176 million to Moderna to develop an mRNA-based pandemic flu vaccine that works against avian influenza.
They said they wanted to be “better prepared” for future public health crises after learning lessons from Covid.
Avian influenza is not a major threat to humans, although outbreaks have occurred in poultry and livestock.
But experts want an effective vaccine that can be deployed quickly, in case the virus mutates and becomes a problem.
Producing vaccines using mRNA technology – the technology that the company’s Covid shot is also based on – is faster than previous methods.
The US government says adding the technology to its pandemic influenza toolkit will increase its ability to “flexibly and rapidly” combat the virus.
The money from the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority will be used to complete the final stages of development and testing of Moderna’s H5N1 avian influenza vaccine.
The virus has been circulating in birds for many years, but several other animals including cattle have also been infected in recent outbreaks.
Some believe that one day the virus could mutate and spread easily between people, causing serious consequences.
So far there is no indication that this will happen.
There are rare cases where people get it. after contact with sick animals.
In humans, the virus can cause symptoms ranging from mild illness such as upper respiratory and eye infections to severe illness such as pneumonia that can be fatal, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Moderna has begun early testing of its mRNA bird flu vaccine in 2023 in healthy adults.
Moderna said results are expected later this year and will determine next steps.
