{"id":8897,"date":"2025-05-29T09:05:51","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T09:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=8897"},"modified":"2025-05-29T09:05:51","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T09:05:51","slug":"us-cancels-700m-in-funding-for-modernas-bird-flu-vaccine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=8897","title":{"rendered":"US cancels $700m in funding for Moderna&#8217;s bird flu vaccine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>The United States has cancelled over $700 million in funding allocated to Moderna Inc. for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine, citing concerns over scientific standards and safety.<\/p>\n<p>The decision, which halts a key project targeting the H5N1 avian influenza strain, marks a notable policy reversal in the nation\u2019s pandemic preparedness efforts.<\/p>\n<p>The contract, originally awarded under the Biden administration, included $590 million in January to expand Moderna\u2019s clinical trials and explore up to five new influenza subtypes.<\/p>\n<p>An additional $176 million had previously been committed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2024 to complete development and testing of the mRNA-based vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>Today we announced an update on our investigational pandemic influenza program. Learn more: https:\/\/t.co\/l2J7ipQ95Q. pic.twitter.com\/fcmovMqfmg<br \/>\n\u2014 Moderna (@moderna_tx) May 28, 2025<\/p>\n<p>Moderna confirmed the cancellation on Wednesday, stating that it still intends to pursue alternative paths for advancing the vaccine\u2019s development and manufacturing. Shares of the company remained flat in after-hours trading.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for HHS said a \u201ccomprehensive internal review\u201d had determined the Moderna project no longer met the federal agency\u2019s \u201cscientific standards or safety expectations\u201d to justify continued public investment.<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson did not provide further detail on the nature of the review\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n<p>The decision comes as the H5N1 strain continues to circulate globally, having infected at least 70 people in the past year\u2014primarily farm workers\u2014while also spreading through cattle herds and poultry flocks.<\/p>\n<p>Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, criticised the cancellation, warning that the government was \u201cdiscarding what could be one of the most effective and rapid tools\u201d to contain a potential outbreak.<\/p>\n<p>He contrasted the move with former President Donald Trump\u2019s Operation Warp Speed, which expedited COVID-19 vaccine development.<\/p>\n<p>BREAKING: HHS just killed a $600M Moderna contract for pandemic flu vaccines.<br \/>\nThe platform: mRNA\u2014the fastest we have against threats like H5N1.<br \/>\nThe reason? RFK Jr.\u2019s skepticism.<br \/>\nThe risk? Deadly delays when the next pandemic hits. pic.twitter.com\/x89l1vFqQg<br \/>\n\u2014 Carolyn Barber, MD (@cbarbermd) May 28, 2025<\/p>\n<p>Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also drawn criticism in recent months for his scepticism of vaccine deployment.<\/p>\n<p>In a controversial television appearance earlier this year, he suggested that poultry farmers should allow avian flu to spread unchecked to observe natural resistance in chickens.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the setback, Moderna reported encouraging interim results from an ongoing mid-stage trial evaluating the safety and immune response of its H5 vaccine candidate.<\/p>\n<p>The company has been relying on revenue from next-generation mRNA vaccines\u2014including its bird flu and COVID-flu combination shots\u2014as demand for its COVID-19 vaccine continues to decline.<\/p>\n<p>The cancellation reflects shifting priorities within the federal government and highlights growing scrutiny of pandemic-related funding decisions made during the previous administration.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The United States has cancelled over $700 million in funding allocated to Moderna Inc. for the late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine, citing concerns over scientific standards and safety. The decision, which halts a key project targeting the H5N1 avian influenza strain, marks a notable policy reversal in the nation\u2019s pandemic preparedness efforts. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}