The threat of flipping birds is still looming, but HHS has just canceled a modern contract that could prepare for it
Moderna has temporary data, he says that it supports advancing his vaccine against avian influenza in a clinical trial at an advanced stage, but the US government has canceled the federal contract which would have funded it, a decision that comes while the epidemics of the so-called flipper of birds continue throughout the country.
The Ministry of Health and Social Services pointed out to Moderna that it would terminate the contract, including the right to buy pre-countryic anti-rascal vaccines, the company announced on Wednesday.
The federal government often contributes to the financing of development and tests of drugs and vaccines that deal with public health threats. Under Operation Warp Speed, Moderna has received federal funding for the development of her Messenger RNA COVVI-19 vaccine, Spikevax.
The traditional vaccine manufacturing method using chicken eggs as a growth environment for a virus requires a long delivery time. On the other hand, mRNA vaccines offer the advantage of speed. Once a target pathogen has been identified and sequenced, mRNA can quickly be designed and produced to remedy it. This faster turning time makes mRNM vaccines attractive for pandemic preparation.
The avian influenza contract with the government was initially awarded last summer with a commitment of $ 176 million. In January, just before President Trump took office, HHS increased the contract to $ 590 million. The funds came from the HHS, the administration of strategic preparation and response and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (Barda).
The candidate of the modern vaccine, the code name Arnm-1018, has reached phase 1/2 tests against four different types or subtypes of avian flu. On Wednesday, the company announced provisional results for around 300 Heathy adults who received a version of the mRNA-1018 mRNA designed to tackle the H5 avian influenza virus subtype. This vaccine is administered as two intramuscular injections, 22 days apart.
Moderna said the results show that mRNA-1018 has demonstrated “a rapid, powerful and lasting immune response”. At the start, preexisting immunity was minimal. On day 43, three weeks after the second injection, 97.8% of participants showed levels of antibodies at or higher than the threshold necessary for protection. Moderna said the vaccine was well tolerated by study participants and that most of the adverse effects were classified in the first year.
The cancellation of the Moderna contract was not completely unexpected. Shortly after Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed as the new secretary of the HHS, the ministry said that he was examining the contract. Federal vaccine policy continues to change. The FDA and HHS have revised their policy on COVVI-19 vaccines, supporting vaccination mainly for high-risk groups, such as the elderly. Earlier this week, HHS Secretary Kennedy announced that Cèvres vaccines had been withdrawn from the recommended calendar of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for healthy children and healthy pregnant women, saying: “It’s common sense and it is a good science.”
In her report in the first quarter of 2025, Moderna said that Spikevax’s income has decreased from year to year. The company has awarded the drop in sales to a drop in vaccination rates while the COVVI-19 vaccine market becoming a seasonal becoming with the most of the coming demand during the months of fall and winter. But federal government policies on COVVI-19 vaccines could affect how and if the insurance companies cover the blows, which could in turn erode Moderna’s revenues. At the end of the quarter, Moderna said that her cash position was $ 8.4 billion, down more than a billion dollars compared to the end of 2024.
According to the latest CDC data, the H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds in the world and causes us epidemics in poultry and dairy cows. In humans, the agency lists 70 cases of flipping birds and a death to date. There has been no reported in the propagation from person to person, and the CDC classifies the risk of public health and low. Meanwhile, Moderna said that he would seek other ways to finance development and manufacturing in the advanced phase of the vaccine “in accordance with the company’s strategic commitment to the preparation for the pandemic”.
“Although the end of HHS financing adds uncertainty, we are satisfied with the solid immune response and the security profile observed in this interim analysis of the phase 1/2 study of our Avian H5 flu vaccine and we will explore alternative pathways for the program,” said Moderna CEO, Stéphane Bancel, in a prepared state. “These clinical data on pandemic influenza underline the critical role of mRNA technology has played as counter-measures for emerging health threats.”
Photo: Thianchai Sitthikongsak, via Getty Images
