hapabapa
Modern (NASDAQ: mRNA) announced Tuesday a $176 million contract from the U.S. government to accelerate the development of messenger RNA-based vaccines targeting several strains of influenza, including the avian flu family of viruses.
The company indicated that the financing channeled through the Biomédico The Bureau of Advanced Research and Development (BARDA) is expected to support late-stage trials for an H5 flu vaccine virus.
The deal is expected to fund a late-stage trial of the vaccine, which is scheduled to begin in 2025. Bloomberg Moderna (MRNA) expects to release preliminary data on its mRNA-based avian influenza vaccine in the coming weeks, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said.
The contract comes as the United States reports cases of bird flu attributed to the H5N1 strain among livestock herds and farm workers.
“Our job is to be prepared in case that changes,” O’Connell said. “If you had asked any expert in 2018 what they expected the next pandemic to be, they would have said a very virulent flu.”
The BARDA agreement also includes terms to ensure “fair pricing” for the American taxpayer, O’Connell said.