April 21 (Reuters) – Moderna said on Tuesday it had started a late-stage study of its experimental bird flu vaccine in the U.S. and the UK, marking the first time a pandemic bird flu vaccine made with mRNA technology has reached late-stage trials.
The U.S. drugmaker’s vaccine, known as mRNA-1018, will be tested on about 4,000 healthy adults aged 18 and older.
It is being supported by a $54 million investment from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, a global partnership working to accelerate the development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats.
CEPI’s investment in December followed U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision last May to cancel more than $700 million in contracts with Moderna to develop a bird flu vaccine to protect against a potential future pandemic.
The technology, which was used to develop COVID-19 vaccines, is seen as a more rapid method of developing vaccines against emerging viruses with pandemic potential.
Moderna Chief Executive Stephane Bancel said bird flu remains a pandemic threat and that the study marks an important step in efforts to improve preparedness for future outbreaks.
The company said any future filing for regulatory approval of mRNA-1018 would also be supported by positive data from its separate seasonal flu vaccine candidate, mRNA-1010, which is under review in the U.S., the European Union, Canada and Australia.
Under its agreement with CEPI, Moderna said that if the vaccine is approved and a flu pandemic is declared, it would set aside 20% of its manufacturing capacity for supply to low- and middle-income countries at affordable prices.
(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
