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The U.S. government has awarded Moderna MRNA.O $590 million to advance the development of its avian flu vaccine, as the country steps up efforts to combat rising infections in humans.
This sum is in addition to the $176 million received last year to complete the final phase of development and testing of a pre-pandemic mRNA-based vaccine against the H5N1 avian flu virus.
The funding will also expand clinical studies to five other pandemic flu subtypes, Moderna said Friday.
Moderna is testing the experimental vaccine, mRNA-1018, against several strains of the virus, including the H5N1 variant currently circulating.
The drugmaker said it is preparing to move mRNA-1018 into final-stage trials based on preliminary data from an early-to-mid-stage study and plans to present that data at ‘an upcoming medical meeting.
-The award was made by the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) consortium with funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Nearly 70 people in the United States, most of them agricultural workers, have contracted bird flu since April, as the virus circulated in poultry farms and dairy herds.
Most human infections have been mild, but one death was reported in Louisiana last week.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of bird flu to the general public is low and there is no other evidence of person-to-person spread.
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