US ends $590 mn Moderna deal to develop bird flu vaccine using mRNA tech

The US has cancelled its $590 million contract with Moderna for a bird flu vaccine, citing safety and ethical concerns over mRNA technology, sparking debate among experts and public health officials

The Donald Trump administration on Thursday (May 29) cancelled a $590 million contract with Moderna to develop a human vaccine for bird flu. The agreement, signed under former US President Joe Biden in January, gave the US early access to doses if a pandemic were declared. That provision has now been forfeited.

 

The move comes amid broader efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reassess the scientific and ethical basis of investments in mRNA technology, which is used in Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine.

 

“After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” said Andrew Nixon, an HHS spokesperson.

 

 

The department had previously announced that it was reviewing the contract. The decision aligns with Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s scepticism towards mRNA vaccines. He has repeatedly questioned their safety and has faced criticism for comments suggesting bird flu should be allowed to spread naturally among poultry to identify resistant birds.

 

A separate statement from HHS added: “The reality is that mRNA technology remains under-tested, and we are not going to spend taxpayer dollars repeating the mistakes of the last administration, which concealed legitimate safety concerns from the public.”

Impact on vaccine development

Moderna had received the $590 million grant earlier this year to support late-stage development of its bird flu vaccine and expand studies into five additional pandemic influenza subtypes. This followed a $176 million investment from HHS in 2023 aimed at developing a pre-pandemic vaccine targeting the H5N1 strain.

 

Despite the cancellation, Moderna announced that interim results from a mid-stage trial showed promising results in about 300 healthy adults. The vaccine reportedly produced “a rapid, potent and durable immune response.”

 

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel said: “While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile … and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program. These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.”

 

The company is now expected to seek other avenues for late-stage development and manufacturing.

Public health concerns

Experts have raised alarms over the potential consequences of the government’s decision. According to health experts, the government is discarding what could be one of the most effective and rapid tools to combat an avian influenza outbreak. Some have even called the attack on mRNA vaccines "beyond absurd."

 

Notably, the H5N1 avian flu strain has been circulating globally for years, infecting wild birds, domestic poultry, and even mammals such as bears and sea lions. In 2024, around 70 human infections were reported in the US, mostly among farm workers in close contact with livestock.

 

It is important to mention here that bird flu vaccines already exist in the US Strategic National Stockpile, but they rely on older production methods. mRNA vaccines represent a newer approach, using messenger RNA to instruct cells to produce a harmless piece of the virus, prompting the immune system to generate protective antibodies.

 

Unlike traditional vaccines, which use weakened or inactivated viruses, mRNA vaccines do not contain the actual pathogen and cannot cause infection. The mRNA itself is broken down by the body shortly after use.

 

This technology was successfully deployed in Covid-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, which were shown to be safe and effective.