30 May 2025

HHS Withdraws $590 million Moderna Contract for Bird Flu Vaccine

by Bonnie | | 0

The Department of Health and Human Services cut off a $590 million contract with Moderna to use its mRNA platform to develop a vaccine against H5 avian flu.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long advocated against vaccines in general, even long established ones such as for measles, and especially does not like mRNA technology. HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon said “continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable.” He called mRNA vaccine technology “under-tested” despite its worldwide successful use with a strong safety record in Moderna’s and Pfizer/BioNTech’s vaccines against COVID.

In February 2025, a conventional vaccine by Zoetis received conditional approval for use to protect poultry from H5 bird flu. It is based on a killed H5N2 variant and works against current variants of the H5N1 virus, which decimate poultry, jump to cows and sometimes jump to humans. Comparable vaccine protection for humans is not yet available.

Moderna said an early-phase trial for the vaccine against bird flu in about 300 healthy adult humans produced “a rapid, potent and durable immune response.” Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel issued the following in a statement:

While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile … and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program. These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.

Click here for more about approval of a vaccine against bird flu for poultry.

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