Moderna secures up to $54.3 million funding for bird flu vaccine from global coalition

Dec 18 (Reuters) – Moderna will get up to $54.3 million in funding from a global coalition to support late-stage development of its experimental bird flu vaccine, the U.S. drugmaker said on Thursday.

The vaccine, mRNA-1018, would be the first mRNA-based bird flu vaccine to enter a pivotal trial, Moderna said.

In May, the Trump administration had canceled a $700 million contract with Moderna to develop the vaccine.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI, is a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats.

As part of the agreement, Moderna will reserve 20% of its production capacity for low- and middle-income countries, promising affordable prices if a pandemic occurs.

Moderna said the project is part of a broader effort to develop vaccines within 100 days of a new pandemic threat being identified.

The late-stage trial is expected to begin in early 2026 in the UK and the U.S., building on earlier studies that showed strong immune responses in healthy adults. Data from Moderna’s ongoing seasonal flu vaccine trial will also be used to support the approval process.

“Pandemic influenza remains one of the greatest threats to global health security,” CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said. “By harnessing the speed and adaptability of mRNA technology, we could deliver vaccines faster and at scale.”

Unlike conventional influenza vaccines that require virus growth in eggs or cell culture, a process that can take months, an mRNA vaccine can be designed in hours or days as soon as the virus’s genetic sequence is known and be swiftly made.

(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Sahal Muhammed)