US cancels $590 million contract with Moderna for bird flu shot

The Moderna, Inc. logo is displayed during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 5, 2023 (Patrick T. Fallon)
The Moderna, Inc. logo is displayed during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on January 5, 2023 (Patrick T. Fallon)

US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday canceled a $590 million contract with Moderna to develop an avian flu vaccine, the US biotech company said.

It marked the latest move against vaccines by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who has spent decades promoting misinformation about immunization.

The contract, announced on January 17 — three days before Trump took office — was for an mRNA vaccine targeting the H5N1 influenza strain, which has been circulating in birds and cattle.

Experts have warned the virus could jump to humans and spark a pandemic.

American pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna disclosed the news as it…

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