The Trump administration has cancelled $766 million awarded to drugmaker Moderna Inc. to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu.
In January, Moderna was awarded $590 million by the Biden administration to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine. An additional $176 million was awarded by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last year.
The decision to terminate the contract comes despite Moderna reporting positive interim results from early-stage clinical trials of the vaccine that targeted the H5 bird flu virus, tested in 300 healthy adults.
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“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis,” the company said in a statement.
The funds were awarded through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a program that focuses on medical treatments for potential pandemics.
The new vaccine, called mRNA-1018, used the same technology that allowed the development and rollout of vaccines to fight Covid-19 in record time.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for his scepticism toward mRNA vaccine technology, cited concerns about the safety of the jab.
Bird flu has infected 70 people, most of them farm workers, over the past year as it has spread aggressively among cattle herds and poultry flocks. Experts warn that further mutations in the virus could enhance its ability to spread among humans or increase its severity, raising fears of a possible pandemic.
