Moderna will receive up to $54.3 million in funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate the development of the pharmaceutical company’s mRNA-based pandemic flu vaccine. Funding for the Phase 3 study would allow the “first mRNA-based vaccine targeting pandemic influenza to enter a pivotal trial,” a press release explains.
“We are proud to have the support of CEPI to advance our pandemic influenza vaccine candidate, research that is critical to our commitment to pandemic preparedness,” Stéphane Bancel, Chief Executive Officer of Moderna, said in a statement. “mRNA technology can play a vital role in addressing emerging health threats quickly and effectively, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with CEPI as we advance our health security portfolio, and in parallel, further the 100 Days Mission.”
CEPI’s 100 Days Mission is its “global goal to develop safe and effective vaccines within 100 days of a new pandemic threat being identified,” the release notes.
Earlier this year, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the department is terminating 22 mRNA vaccine development contracts. The terminations affect activities through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
The contract terminations totaled nearly $500 million. HHS will now prioritize the development of “safer, broader vaccine strategies,” Kennedy said, such as “whole-virus vaccines” and “novel platforms that don’t collapse when viruses mutate.”
HHS explained that while some final-stage contracts will be permitted to run their course, no new mRNA projects will be launched. Moving forward, BARDA will “focus on platforms with stronger safety records and transparent clinical and manufacturing data practices,” the department said.
