Moderna announced a $54.3 billion investment from CEPI to fund its Phase 3 trial of a bird flu vaccine. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations announced it will invest up to $54.3 million with Moderna to fund a Phase 3 trial of its bird flu vaccine.
The vaccine is an mRNA-based H5 influenza candidate for bird flu in humans.
CEPI, based in Oslo, Norway, is a public-private partnership whose mission is to speed the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats. The organization has a “100 Days Mission,” with the goal of being able to create vaccines within 100 days of a new disease threat. It has supported the development of more than 70 vaccine candidates or platform technologies.
“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,” said Stéphane Bancel, CEO of Moderna, in a statement. “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.”
The President Joe Biden administration announced a contract with Moderna for $590 million in January to fund the development of a vaccine for bird flu. But the Department of Health and Human Services canceled the contract in May under the President Donald Trump administration.
“We will explore alternative paths forward for the program,” The Hill reported Bancel said at the time. “These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.”
CEPI CEO Dr. Richard Hatchett said the mission is to protect against the flu, a global threat.
“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,” Hatchett said in a statement. “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.”
This week in Washington
President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Room of the White House on Wednesday. Trump touted what he described as successes achieved by his administration during his first year back in office, while bashing his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and the Democrats. Pool Photo by Doug Mills/UPI | License Photo
