The U.S. authorities pays the vaccine maker Moderna $176 million to speed up improvement of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could possibly be used to deal with hen flu in folks, as concern grows about circumstances in dairy cows throughout the nation, federal officers introduced Tuesday.
Moderna already has a hen flu vaccine in very early-stage testing that makes use of the identical mRNA know-how that allowed fast improvement and rollout of vaccines to guard in opposition to COVID-19. The brand new funds from the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies embody continued improvement of the vaccine, together with a late-stage trial subsequent 12 months if these early research outcomes are constructive.
However the mission may be quicky redirected to focus on one other type of influenza if a distinct menace than the H5N1 type of hen flu emerges, HHS officers pressured.
The award was made via the Biomedical Superior Analysis and Growth Authority, or BARDA, a program that focuses on medical remedies for potential pandemics.
The H5N1 virus was detected earlier this 12 months in dairy cows and has unfold to greater than 135 herds in 12 states and contaminated three folks up to now, all with delicate circumstances. Federal well being officers stress that the chance to the broader inhabitants stays low.
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