US health officials announced Friday they were awarding $590 million to Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines against influenza, including advancing the company's bird flu vaccine, as fears of a new pandemic grow.

Moderna has been awarded approximately $590 million from the federal government to help speed up the development of an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, health officials said.

The US Department of Health and Human Services will award $590 million to Moderna to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu, the pharmaceutical company announced Friday.

"While the risk to humans remains low, we are always preparing for any possible scenario that could arise," HSS's Xavier Becerra said.

Companies including Moderna and Pfizer are working on mRNA vaccines for bird flu. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has put 306 million dollars into avian influenza monitoring and preparedness. Dr. Keith Poulsen with the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory tells Brownfield most of the funding announced Friday is not new money and is being used to bolster a possible future public health response.

January 5, 2025 - Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would award $306 million dollars to continue its H5N1 Avian Flu response. While CDC’s assessment of the risk of avian influenza to the general public remains low,

US health officials announced Friday they were awarding $590 million to Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines against influenza, including advancing the company's bird flu vaccine, as fears of a new pandemic grow.

The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans. This is in addition to $176 million awarded by the U.

Is it seasonal flu or bird flu? CDC prompts hospitals to fast-track subtype testing of sick patients to tell the difference.

CDC officials say medical professionals are seeing more patients whose illness cannot be traced back to an infected animal or bird.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would award $306 million to continue its H5N1 avian influenza response.