Alert: Biden Gave Moderna $600 Million to Invent New mRNA Shots, But Not for Use Against COVID
There was one final vaccine-related gift from the outgoing Biden administration to the makers of mRNA vaccines — only this time, it didn’t have to do with COVID inoculations.
According to a Friday news release by the Department of Health and Human Services, the department was giving a nearly $600 million grant to Moderna to “accelerate pandemic influenza mRNA-based vaccine development.”
Moderna was one of two major U.S.-based companies to develop mRNA vaccines for use against COVID-19, the other being Pfizer.
This time, however, the vaccines being funded will target influenza, along with aiming to “enhance mRNA platform capabilities so that the U.S. is better prepared to respond to other emerging infectious diseases.”
“The award was made through the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) Consortium with funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR),” the Friday media release read.
Among the chief concerns behind the $590 million expenditure, outgoing HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said, was the avian flu.
“Avian flu variants have proven to be particularly unpredictable and dangerous to humans in the past. That is why this response has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration and HHS,” Becerra is quoted as saying in the media release.
“Accelerating the development of new vaccines will allow us to stay ahead and ensure that Americans have the tools they need to stay safe.”
“The award made today is part of the ASPR’s commitment to strengthening pandemic preparedness through investments in innovative technology such as mRNA vaccines,” outgoing Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O’Connell said.
“mRNA technology will complement existing vaccine technology, allowing us to move faster and better target emerging viruses to protect Americans’ against future pandemics.”
The outlay, the HHS said, “allows Moderna to accelerate development of an H5N1 mRNA influenza vaccine that is well matched to strains currently circulating in cows and birds and expands the clinical data supporting the use of mRNA vaccines that may be needed if other influenza strains emerge with pandemic potential.”
This, according to ABC News, is in addition to a $176 million outlay in July of 2024 for the same flu.
Since April 2024, there have been 67 confirmed cases of this particular strain of bird flu in humans, with one reported death.
There’s no evidence of human-to-human translation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other public health officials. The human cases have mostly come after coming into contact with infected poultry livestock or cattle.
In addition, public health officials have said that the risk to the American population as a whole is low.
However, as CNN reported, vaccines against H5 variants of influenza in the Strategic National Stockpile use older technology which doesn’t incorporate mRNA technology.
The avian flu isn’t the only flu that the government money will be tackling, either.
“Moderna also will design up to four additional novel pandemic influenza vaccines and test preliminary safety and immunogenicity (generating an immune system response) in phase 1 clinical studies,” the news release said.
“This work will create the necessary background data to enable accelerated development of an mRNA vaccine targeted to various influenza virus subtypes of pandemic potential. This approach takes advantage of the versatility of Moderna’s mRNA platform, leveraging an existing manufacturing platform capability to support product development across multiple health threats.”
The award is part of a “10-year, multi-purpose acquisition vehicle and consortium” to develop the “vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics,” the release went on to add.
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