Moderna announced Thursday it will receive up to $54.3 million from a global vaccine partnership to fund its ongoing research into a potential bird flu mRNA vaccine, helping to recover some of the funding that was cut off when the federal government canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a public-private partnership of governments and philanthropic groups developing new vaccines to prevent future epidemics, will be making the investment to help Moderna get its bird flu vaccine candidate to licensure.
“We are proud to have the support of CEPI to advance our pandemic influenza vaccine candidate, research that is critical to our commitment to pandemic preparedness. mRNA technology can play a vital role in addressing emerging health threats quickly and effectively, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with CEPI as we advance our health security portfolio, and in parallel, further the 100 Days Mission,” Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
A contract with Moderna worth $590 million was announced in January by the Biden administration, to help develop a vaccine effective against bird flu. There are currently no vaccines specifically indicated for the virus.
But in May, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it was canceling this contract. At the time, Bancel said the cancellation meant uncertainty for the future of the bird flu vaccine candidate
“We will explore alternative paths forward for the program,” Bancel said. “These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.”
“Pandemic influenza remains one of the greatest threats to global health security. With this partnership, we are not just advancing vaccine science, we are fundamentally changing the game,” CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said.
“By harnessing the speed and adaptability of mRNA technology, we could shave months off the response time, deliver vaccines at scale, and enable equitable access for all. This is how we plan to protect the world from the next flu pandemic.”
