The government wants Moderna to push forward with various bird flu vaccines as well as mRNA shots for other influenza strains with pandemic potential.

Moderna MRNA announced that the U.S. government, through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (“BARDA”), has awarded the company $590 million to accelerate the development of an mRNA-based vaccine program aimed at preventing the spread of the H5N1 virus,

"$590m to Moderna from HHS for mRNA ‘flu vax development" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

The government is working to head off human bird flu infections. The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

The latest funding is a sign of how seriously the Biden administration appears to be taking the pandemic threat.

Key Takeaways Moderna received a $590 million award from the U.S. government to speed development of a vaccine that could be used to fight bird flu.The biotech firm's mRNA-1018 candidate posted positive results in a Phase 1/2 study launched in 2023.

Moderna has been testing an mRNA candidate for influenza viruses like the H5 and H7 strains that are seen as pandemic threats. Others, including GSK and Pfizer, are also at work on similar shots.