US poised to invest millions in mRNA bird flu vaccine amid H5N1 scare

In past influenza pandemics, including the Swine Flu outbreak in 2009, vaccines were often delayed until after the initial waves had already subsided.

Prof Paul Kelly, chief medical officer of Australia, welcomed the news, saying it was important to “learn the lessons of the Covid pandemic”, think ahead on vaccine production, and ensure that “not all eggs were in the same basket”.

An early investment by BARDA in mRNA vaccines for H5N1 would be “appropriate and wise”, he added.

The US government is also said to be in talks with Pfizer over supporting the development of its mRNA vaccine in targeting H5N1, but no agreement has yet been reached. 

Dr Rick Bright, an immunologist and influenza expert, said the US government should consider more options, casting its net wide. 

“While it a good to see BARDA considering partnerships with Moderna and Pfizer, it’s also important that they look at additional companies and technologies that could be helpful in pandemic response and even seasonal influenza vaccine impact,” he said.

“For example, GSK and Curevac recently launched an H5N1 vaccine clinical trial and there are other companies that are developing influenza vaccines that can be delivered in the form of an oral capsule or skin patch,” Dr Bright added. 

Bird flu has so far been detected in poultry farms across the world, including the UK.  In the US, over 68 herds of dairy cattle across nine states have also become infected.

So far this year, two dairy workers – one in Texas, one in Michigan – have tested positive for the virus. In the most recent case, the virus demonstrated a mutation that evidenced it has better adapted to spread between humans. 

The WHO still considers the risk to humans low but urged countries to rapidly share information to enable real-time monitoring of the situation to ensure preparedness as the virus continues to spread.

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