US government will pay Moderna $176 million to develop an mRNA vaccine against pandemic influenza. The award comes as the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus continues to spread widely among U.S. dairy cattle.
The funding is being funneled through BARDA, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, as part of the modern Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) Consortium. The program aims to forge partnerships with industry to assist the country better prepare for pandemic threats and develop medical countermeasures, the Department of Health and Human Services said. he said in a press release on Tuesday.
In his your own ad Moderna on Tuesday said it began a Phase 1/2 study of its pandemic flu vaccine last year, which included versions targeting the H5 and H7 strains of bird flu viruses. The company said it expects to publish results from that study this year and that those results will inform the design of a Phase 3 study expected to begin in 2025.
The funding agreement will support late-stage development of a “pre-pandemic H5 influenza vaccine,” Moderna said. But the agreement also includes options for additional vaccine development should other public health threats emerge.
“mRNA vaccine technology offers advantages in efficacy, speed of development, and manufacturing scalability and reliability for addressing infectious disease outbreaks, as demonstrated during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in the announcement. “We are pleased to continue our collaboration with BARDA to accelerate our development efforts for mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines and support the global public health community in preparing for potential outbreaks.”
US health officials have I said earlier that they were in talks with Moderna and Pfizer about developing a vaccine against the pandemic bird flu. The future vaccine would be an addition to the standard protein-based bird flu vaccines that are already in development. In recent weeks, the health department said it was working to produce 4.8 million vials of H5 flu vaccine in the coming months. The plans come after three months of an H5N1 outbreak in the dairy sector that has fallen far miniature of initial hopes of containing it.
Failed response
The United States has been responding badly to the unprecedented outbreak, drawing criticism from American and international experts. Genetic analyses suggest the virus has been spreading among dairy cattle in the country since tardy last year. But it was not until months later, March 25that the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the first four infected herds in two states (Texas and Kansas). The outbreak has since spread to about 140 herds in 12 states — at least.
Some farms refuse to test and experts expect there to be a significant number of undocumented infections in herds, especially considering common detection inactivated H5N1 virus in commercial milk supplies. In addition, of the 140 herds with documented infections, federal officials do not know how many are still actively infected rather than cured. It is not clear whether infected cows can be reinfected, or if so, how soon after infection.
While the risk to the general public is currently considered low, farm workers are at higher risk of infection. Three cases have been confirmed among dairy workers so far — one in Texas AND two IN Michiganwhich has responded exceptionally strongly to the outbreak. Despite hundreds to thousands of farm workers being exposed to the virus, only 53 people have been tested for H5 influenza in the country so far.