US EditionHHS cancels nearly $600 million Moderna contract on vaccines for flu pandemics
- On May 28, 2025, the Trump administration withdrew $766 million in funding previously granted to Moderna for the development of a vaccine targeting potential pandemic influenza viruses in the United States.
- The funds, awarded in July 2024 and January 2025 through BARDA, were intended for Moderna's mRNA-1018 vaccine targeting influenza viruses including H5N1 bird flu.
- Moderna reported positive interim results from a Phase 1/2 trial involving 300 healthy adults for the vaccine, while H5N1 bird flu spread into U.S. Cattle last year, infecting hundreds across several states.
- A company representative explained that the funding received in January was intended to support a late-stage clinical trial, and Moderna expressed satisfaction with the promising immune reaction and favorable safety data demonstrated in the preliminary results.
- The contract cancellation adds uncertainty to Moderna’s program amid concerns that continued H5N1 mutations could increase virulence and potentially trigger a pandemic.
235 Articles
235 Articles
Bird Flu Threat Still Looms, But HHS Just Canceled a Moderna Contract That Could Prepare for It
Messenger RNA technology offers a faster way to develop vaccines to address or prepare for pandemics, and Moderna’s vaccine candidate for avian influenza is on track for Phase 3 testing. But the Department of Health and Human Services has canceled a $590 million contract to support Moderna’s pivotal trial. The post Bird Flu Threat Still Looms, But HHS Just Canceled a Moderna Contract That Could Prepare for It appeared first on MedCity News.
'Absolutely terrified': Trump HHS slammed for axing human bird flu vaccine contract
The Trump administration Department of Health and Human Services has canceled a $766 million contract with Moderna to complete the development of a vaccine to protect humans against potential pandemic flu viruses, including bird flu. Outbreaks in animals have hit all 50 U.S. states and the disease has started jumping to the human population. Experts are expressing concern and outrage over the decision, calling it “a significant blow to pandemic …
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