HHS Stops Funding Moderna’s Bird Flu Vaccine, Cancels $590 Million Award

The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has canceled $590 million in funding with Moderna that was supporting the development of an investigational pandemic influenza vaccine to protect against bird flu, the biotechnology company said in a release.¹ Moderna also announced positive results from its phase 1/2 clinical trial of the vaccine, which showed a rapid and durable immune response among nearly 300 adult patients.

With these positive interim results, Moderna is yet again at the forefront of vaccine technology designed for unprecedented, pandemic-level events. | image credit: Andreas Prott / stock.adobe.com

In January, HHS awarded Moderna the funding to improve upon previous mRNA technology in an effort to develop a vaccine that protects against H5 and H7 avian influenzas.² However, Bloomberg reported in February that the Trump administration was reevaluating the award as part of “a government push to examine spending on messenger RNA-based vaccines.”³

“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis of the Phase 1/2 study of our H5 avian flu vaccine and we will explore alternative paths forward for the program,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel in the release.¹ “These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.”

READ MORE: Infections for Measles, Bird Flu, and Pertussis Increase in 2025

While only 2.1% of patients entered the Moderna trial with pre-existing immunity, 97.8% ended the trial achieving notable antibody titers at day 43, which was 3 weeks after their second dose of the vaccine. The vaccine was also well-tolerated among a majority of the study population, with minimal adverse reactions and no increases in these events as doses increased.

Despite significant uncertainty amongst health care organizations in the federal government, Moderna’s announcement is still a step in the right direction regarding the ongoing bird flu crisis in the US. Since the virus began infecting humans in the country for the first time in its history, cases have remained stagnant for the past few months at 70 human cases total.⁴ Furthermore, human-to-human transmission of the virus has yet to be detected—an event that would surely cause public health experts to raise alarms.

“The cancellation means that the government is discarding what could be one of the most effective and rapid tools to combat an avian influenza outbreak,” Amesh Adalja, MD, FIDSA, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Reuters.⁵

Along with layoffs amongst government organizations like the CDC and FDA, funding cuts have been a common theme in the Trump administration. According to public health experts, these events are putting the country in danger.

“Bird Flu is a well-known threat and the virus has continued to evolve,” said Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, dean of the Brown School of Public Health, told NPR.⁶ “If the virus develops the ability to spread from person to person, we could see a large number of people get sick and die from this infection. The program to develop the next generation of vaccines was essential to protecting Americans. The attack by the Administration on the mRNA vaccine platform is absurd."

Health officials continue to focus on pandemic preparedness and developing proactive approaches to combat the ongoing bird flu crisis. While the infection’s impact on humans has yet to reach concerning levels, disagreements between the federal government and public health experts may hinder development of mass protection against the bird flu.

Regardless, according to Moderna, the company is committed to the safe and swift development of its bird flu vaccine.

“Moderna will explore alternatives for late-stage development and manufacturing of the H5 program consistent with the company's strategic commitment to pandemic preparedness,” concluded the news release.¹

READ MORE: Public Health Experts Claim More Needs to Be Done to Stop the Spread of Bird Flu

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References

1. Moderna announces update on investigational pandemic influenza program. News Release. Moderna. May 28, 2025. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://investors.modernatx.com/news/news-details/2025/Moderna-Announces-Update-on-Investigational-Pandemic-Influenza-Program-/default.aspx

2. Nowosielski B. Moderna receives $590 million from HHS to develop bird flu vaccine. Drug Topics. January 22, 2025. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://www.drugtopics.com/view/moderna-receives-590-million-from-hhs-to-develop-bird-flu-vaccine

3. Trump administration weighs pulling funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine, Bloomberg News reports. Reuters. February 26, 2025. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/trump-administration-weighs-pulling-funding-moderna-bird-flu-vaccine-bloomberg-2025-02-27/

4. H5N1 bird flu: current situation. CDC. May 23, 2025. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html

5. Wingrove P. US cancels more than $700 million funding for Moderna bird flu vaccine. Reuters. May 29, 2025. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-cancels-more-700-million-funding-moderna-bird-flu-vaccine-2025-05-28/

6. Stein R. Trump administration cancels plans to develop a bird flu vaccine. NPR. May 28, 2025. Accessed May 29, 2025. https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28/nx-s1-5414642/trump-vaccine-bird-flu-mrna