Moderna bird flu vaccine development contract canceled by HHS

Helen Branswell covers points broadly associated to infectious ailments, together with outbreaks, preparedness, analysis, and vaccine improvement. Comply with her on Mastodon and Bluesky. You may attain Helen on Sign at hbranswell.01.

The Division of Well being and Human Providers has notified Moderna that it’s canceling a virtually $600 million contract with the corporate to develop, take a look at, and license vaccines for flu subtypes that might set off future pandemics, together with the harmful H5N1 fowl flu virus.

Although the potential for the cancellation had been anticipated — the brand new management at HHS advised the corporate in February that it was reviewing the contract, signed with the Biden administration — the transfer is being seen as a big blow to the nation’s capability to answer pandemic influenza.

No different flu vaccine manufacturing method can produce doses with the pace of the messenger RNA platform utilized by Moderna and different firms that work with mRNA. However the vaccine platform is seen with deep suspicion by well being secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his political base.