WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or HHS said it will provide approximately $590 million to Moderna (MRNA) to accelerate the development of mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines and enhance mRNA platform capabilities. This funding aims to better prepare the U.S. for emerging infectious diseases.
The funding will accelerate the development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine, which is well-matched to strains currently circulating in cows and birds, and expand clinical data supporting the use of mRNA vaccines for potential pandemic influenza strains.
Moderna's influenza vaccine candidate uses conventional mRNA technology that was leveraged successfully during the COVID-19 response, resulting in one of the first two FDA-authorized - and ultimately FDA-licensed - COVID-19 vaccines.
In addition, Moderna will design and test an H7N9 mRNA pandemic influenza vaccine in a phase 3 clinical study. If successful, this vaccine potentially could become the first licensed for H7N9.
Moderna also will design up to four additional novel pandemic influenza vaccines and test preliminary safety and immunogenicity (generating an immune system response) in phase 1 clinical studies.
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