U.S. Gives $590 Million to Moderna Pharmaceutical to Speed Up Bird Flu Vaccine  - Addiction/Recovery eBulletin

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Jan. 18, 2025 – The money will go to Moderna, the Massachusetts-based pharmaceutical company that previously developed a COVID-19 vaccine. Since 2023, Moderna has been working to create a “pandemic influenza vaccine” which would help protect against certain viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu. The new funds build on the $176 million that HHS gave to Moderna last July.

It has mostly infected livestock and other mammals, but there have been at least 67 confirmed human cases so far, including one death in Louisiana, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California currently accounts for more than half of human infections. The public health risk remains low, but HHS Secretary Becerra said bird flu variants have proven to be unpredictable, which is why the virus is a top priority for the federal government.

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