The cancelled contract had funded Moderna’s early-stage development of an H5 avian flu vaccine, which the company says showed “positive interim” results in a study involving 300 healthy adults.
USA – In a controversial decision that has sparked backlash from health experts, the Trump administration announced Wednesday it is cancelling a US$766 million contract with Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine, citing concerns over the safety of mRNA technology.
The decision comes as the H5N1 bird flu virus spreads rapidly among U.S. dairy cattle and raises fears of a potential pandemic.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that it is halting the development of an mRNA-based vaccine designed to protect against flu viruses with pandemic potential, including the H5N1 strain.
The move, officials say, reflects a broader shift in vaccine funding priorities.
“After a rigorous review, we concluded that continued investment in Moderna’s H5N1 mRNA vaccine was not scientifically or ethically justifiable,” said Andrew Nixon, HHS Communications Director.
“This is about safety, integrity, and trust. 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.”
Nixon added that the administration would prioritise technologies with “better-established safety profiles and transparent data practices.”
However, the agency did not offer specifics on what alternative vaccine strategies would be pursued.
The cancelled contract had funded Moderna’s early-stage development of an H5 avian flu vaccine, which the company says showed “positive interim” results in a study involving 300 healthy adults.
Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said the vaccine had demonstrated a “robust immune response and safety profile,” and the company had anticipated moving the project into late-stage trials.
“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we will explore alternative paths forward for the program,” Bancel stated.
H5N1 continues to ravage animals
The timing of the cancellation has alarmed public health leaders as H5N1 continues to spread.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the virus has already infected more than 1,072 dairy herds and 173 million poultry.
Though only 70 human cases have been reported in the U.S., experts warn the virus could mutate to spread more easily among people, a shift that could trigger a global health crisis.
Dr. Ashish Jha, former White House COVID-19 response coordinator and now dean of the Brown School of Public Health, called the decision “absurd.”
“Bird flu is a well-known threat,” Jha said. “If the virus develops the ability to spread from person to person, we could see a large number of people get sick and die. The program to develop the next generation of vaccines was essential to protecting Americans.”
Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University’s Pandemic Center, described the move as “disappointing, but unsurprising given the politically-motivated, evidence-free rhetoric that tries to paint mRNA vaccines as being dangerous.”
She warned that relying solely on traditional vaccine methods could limit the nation’s ability to respond quickly in a pandemic, especially given global supply constraints.
Despite the relatively low number of human infections in the U.S. and no confirmed person-to-person transmission, H5N1 remains a high-mortality virus.
Scientists emphasise that the longer it circulates in animals, the more opportunities it has to evolve into a human-adapted form.
While Moderna explores alternatives for continuing its vaccine development, the cancellation leaves a gap in U.S. pandemic preparedness efforts, one that critics argue may have long-lasting and potentially deadly consequences.
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