MODERNA Gets $176 Million From Feds to Rush mRNA Injections for Bird Flu | 19 July 2024 | On July 2, 2024, the U.S. government awarded a $176 million contract to Moderna, Inc., for the development of an mRNA H5N1 avian influenza biologic labeled a "vaccine," as the media reports concerns about bird flu in dairy cows and farm workers in multiple states. The funds from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will be used to finish developing and testing a pre-pandemic mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) biologic for H5N1 bird flu, pending the results of Phase 1 clinical trials, which are expected to be completed this month. Late-stage testing of the vaccine is set to begin in 2025. ...The $176 million contract between Moderna and the U.S. government allows for accelerated development should human cases and/or their severity continue to grow, similar to the framework of Operation Warp Speed, the COVID shot development initiative in 2020.