Report: US Government to Fund Moderna's Bird Flu Vaccine Trial

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Facts

• The US government is nearing a deal to fund a late-stage trial of Moderna’s mRNA bird flu vaccine, according to the Financial Times. Federal funding for the shots could come as soon as next month.¹
• Citing anonymous sources close to the discussions, FT reported Thursday that Moderna is poised to receive tens of millions of dollars from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).²
• The deal will likely include a commitment from BARDA to buy stockpiles of doses if the vaccines clear phase-three trials. Moderna has already completed dosing of a mid-stage trial of its H5 bird flu shot, and the company will publish interim data soon.³
• The bird flu (H5N1) has been detected on poultry farms in 48 states and in dairy cow herds in nine, prompting the federal government to work with pharmaceutical companies to diversify their mRNA stockpiles to combat the disease. Pfizer is also in talks regarding bird flu vaccines.³
• Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture announced a joint effort to fight the outbreak last week, and HHS is pushing towards filling 4.8M doses of its existing pre-pandemic vaccines that could be used against current bird flu strains.⁴
• After developing mRNA vaccines for the COVID pandemic, Moderna and Pfizer had seen waning demand and market values due vaccine fatigue. However, the bird flu outbreak has contributed to a jump in their stock prices as demand for shots increases.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Forbes, ³Ft, ⁴Marketwatch and ⁵Washington Examiner.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Ars Technica. As concerns mount about a potential bird flu epidemic, the government is working with Moderna to develop new vaccines to keep farms and animals safe. mRNA technology allowed for the quick rollout of COVID vaccines that saved thousands of lives, and similar jabs could stop the spread of H5N1 before it gets out of hand. The bird flu public health threat remains low — for now — and developing new vaccines could prevent another pandemic.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by ZeroHedge. As the public grows tired of constant inoculations, the federal government is back to bankrolling big pharma to help boost profits. While the spike in bird flu cases is somewhat concerning, it seems like the establishment is trying to overstate the issue to justify millions in funding for companies like Moderna and Pfizer. These companies made off like bandits during COVID before seeing their stock prices drop. However, the feds wouldn't allow the lull to continue — pushing for new ways to boost big pharma’s market value.

Predictions