As bird flu concerns grow, scientists race to develop new vaccines
As fears grow of a possible bird flu pandemic in humans, the federal government is pouring more money into the development of new vaccines, including an mRNA shot.
As fears grow of a possible bird flu pandemic in humans, the federal government is pouring more money into the development of new vaccines, including an mRNA shot.
On Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it’s providing about $590 million in funding to Moderna in part to fast-track the development of an mRNA vaccine that targets the strains of bird flu currently circulating in wild birds, poultry and dairy cows.
The money is in addition to the $176 million HHS awarded the drugmaker in July to develop a bird flu vaccine.
The federal government already has two bird flu vaccine candidates in limited quantities in the nation’s stockpile. Those shots use traditional vaccine technology, but take far longer to produce — a hindrance during an emergency like a fast-moving pandemic.
Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at HHS, said an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine is important because the technology is faster to develop and easier to update than more traditional vaccines.
Rating: 5