HHS Terminates Moderna's Contract for Development of a Bird Flu Vaccine

Moderna has announced that HHS has “terminated a $590 million award it received in January for late-stage development of a candidate mRNA vaccine against H5 avian influenza and the development of other prepandemic vaccine candidates.” CIDRAP has the news.

Moderna received the contract from HHS “in a $176 million base award in July 2024 amid a rising number of H5N1 infections in US residents, mostly agricultural works. On January 17 in the final days of the Biden administration, officials announced a $590 million contract to fund the development of vaccines against potential pandemic flu viruses.” This move terminating the contract “comes amid continued circulation of H5N1 in U.S. dairy cattle, poultry flocks, wild birds, and other mammals.”

The announcement was followed by some experts weighing in on their concerns. For instance, Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, said that “the vaccine contract cancellation puts American lives at risk and that the attack on mRNA vaccines is absurd, given that they have been widely administered and studied, with a good safety and effectiveness track record.”

Moderna also announced that the phase 1 / 2 study for its candidate vaccine suggested “a rapid, potent, and durable immune response.”