US government to fund Moderna’s mRNA bird flu vaccine trial: Report

May 30

Lauren Taylor Anchor/Reporter

By Lauren Taylor (Anchor/Reporter), Emma Stoltzfus (Video Editor)

The United States government is working to fund a human vaccine trial for bird flu in collaboration with Moderna, according to a report by The Financial Times. The H5N1 bird flu virus is currently spreading among wild birds, causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cows. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has also detected the virus in the nation’s milk supply.

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On April 24, the USDA announced a federal order requiring lactating dairy cows to be tested before interstate movement, along with financial assistance for producers with affected herds. Recently, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, R, issued a disaster proclamation for Sioux County, Iowa, where more than 4 million chickens had to be culled due to a bird flu outbreak on a farm.

Although two dairy workers — one in Texas and one in Michigan — contracted the virus in the last two months, they have both recovered. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently assesses the public health risk as “low.” Unlike COVID-19, bird flu is unlikely to become the next pandemic because it does not transmit effectively from person to person.

Pharmaceutical companies are exploring the need to produce more doses of a bird flu pandemic vaccine, while scientists urge caution but not panic. The federal government already maintains a stockpile of a vaccine that could help prevent H5N1 in humans if the virus develops the capability to spread efficiently from person to person worldwide.

Both the United States and European nations are prioritizing vaccination for front-line workers, including poultry farmers and dairy farm workers who may be exposed to bird flu. David Boucher, the director of Infectious Disease at the Department of Health and Human Services, acknowledges that the effectiveness of the current bird flu vaccine is low due to its imperfect match against the circulating strain.

Scientists are actively developing a human mRNA bird flu vaccine because such vaccines can be rapidly produced and tailored to the circulating strain of the virus.

The Financial Times reported that federal funding, potentially several tens of millions of dollars, may come from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) next month to support a late-stage trial for Moderna’s mRNA bird flu vaccine. If successful, BARDA would also purchase a stockpile of vaccine doses. Moderna is expected to release interim trial data soon.

Tags: Bird Flu, CDC, Iowa, Kim Reynolds, Livestock, Moderna, U.S. Department of Agriculture, USDA

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT IS WORKING TO FUND A BIRD FLU HUMAN VACCINE TRIAL FOR MODERNA – ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY THE FINANCIAL TIMES.

RIGHT NOW – H5N1 BIRD FLU IS SPREADING AMONG WILD BIRDS – CAUSING OUTBREAKS IN POULTRY AND DAIRY COWS.

THE USDA HAS ALSO DETECTED THE VIRUS IN OUR NATION’S MILK SUPPLY.

ON APRIL 24TH – THE USDA ANNOUNCED A FEDERAL ORDER REQUIRING LACTATING DAIRY COWS BE TESTED PRIOR TO INTERSTATE MOVEMENT – ANNOUNCING FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR PRODUCERS WITH AFFECTED HERDS.

JUST THIS WEEK – IOWA GOVERNOR KIM REYNOLDS ISSUED A DISASTER PROCLAMATION FOR SIOUX COUNTY, IOWA – AFTER IT WAS REVEALED THAT MORE THAN 4-MILLION CHICKENS WOULD HAVE TO BE KILLED AFTER A BIRD FLU OUTBREAK AT A FARM.

AND TWO DAIRY WORKERS –ONE IN TEXAS AND ONE IN MICHIGAN– CONTRACTED THE VIRUS IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS – HOWEVER, THEY’VE SINCE BOTH RECOVERED AND THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL SAYS THE CURRENT PUBLIC HEALTH RISK IS “LOW”.

SCIENTISTS SAY BIRD FLU IS UNLIKELY TO BECOME THE NEXT PANDEMIC – BECAUSE RIGHT NOW – H5N1 DOESN’T TRANSMIT EFFECTIVELY FROM PERSON-TO-PERSON LIKE WE SEE WITH COVID-19.

SO WHY WOULD PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES NEED TO PRODUCE MORE DOSES OF A BIRD FLU PANDEMIC VACCINE?

WELL, THE SCIENTISTS DO SAY THERE’S REASON TO BE CAUTIOUS – BUT NOT TO PANIC.

CURRENTLY, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT HAS A STOCKPILE OF A VACCINE THAT COULD BE USED TO HELP PREVENT H5N1 IN HUMANS – “IN THE EVENT THAT THE H5N1 AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS DEVELOPS THE CAPABILITY TO SPREAD EFFICIENTLY FROM PERSON-TO-PERSON RESULTING IN THE RAPID SPREAD OF DISEASE ACROSS THE GLOBE.”

RIGHT NOW – THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPEAN NATIONS ARE LOOKING TO VACCINATE FRONT LINE WORKERS – SUCH AS POULTRY FARMERS AND DAIRY FARM WORKERS WHO COULD BE EXPOSED TO BIRD FLU.

ACCORDING TO DAVID BOUCHER – THE DIRECTOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES – THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE CURRENT BIRD FLU VACCINE IS LOW SINCE IT’S NOT A PERFECT MATCH AGAINST THE CIRCULATING STRAIN.

SCIENTISTS SAY THEY’RE LOOKING to develop a HUMAN MRNA BIRD FLU VACCINE BECAUSE those vaccines CAN BE RAPIDLY PRODUCED AND TAILORED TO THE CIRCULATING STRAIN OF THE VIRUS.

THE FINANCIAL TIMES REPORTS: “SEVERAL TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS” WORTH OF FEDERAL FUNDING COULD COME FROM THE BIOMEDICAL ADVANCED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY SOMETIME NEXT MONTH TO FUND A LATE-STAGE TRIAL FOR AN MODERNA MRNA BIRD FLU VACCINE.

ACCORDING TO THE ALLEGED DEAL – BARDA WOULD ALSO PURCHASE A STOCKPILE OF DOSES OF THE VACCINE IF THE TRIALS PROVE SUCCESSFUL.

IT’S ALSO EXPECTED THAT MODERNA WILL RELEASE INTERIM TRIAL DATA “SOON.”

FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M LT.

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