TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is awarding the pharmaceutical company Moderna $590 million to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will award roughly $590 million to Moderna to accelerate the development of mRNA-based pandemic influenza vaccines, including vaccines for avian flu strains, to ensure the United States is better prepared for future potential pandemics, according to a recent HHS news release.

The US Department of Health and Human Services will award $590 million to Moderna to continue developing a vaccine to protect against bird flu, the pharmaceutical company announced Friday.

The funding, which follows the $176 million the government awarded Moderna in June 2024, aims to get mRNA vaccines ready before bird flu strains currently circulating in the wild and on farms can potentially cause human outbreaks.

Moderna has been awarded approximately $590 million from the federal government to help speed up the development of an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine, health officials said.

Earlier this month, Moderna announced business updates and progress across its pipeline. Moderna says it enters 2025 with a focus on a prioritized portfolio addressing respiratory viruses, rare diseases, oncology, and latent and other viruses. Price Action: MRNA stock is up 5.75% at $36.02 at last check Tuesday.

The U.S. government has awarded Moderna $590 million to advance the development of its bird flu vaccine, as the country doubles down on efforts to tackle increasing infections in humans.

"$590m to Moderna from HHS for mRNA ‘flu vax development" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand.

The Department of Health and Human Services has granted millions of dollars to Moderna to speed up bird flu vaccine development.

Moderna gets a $590 million federal boost to continue work on development of a vaccine to protect against bird flu.

As bird flu swept through Europe in 2023, the U.S. enacted import bans. In October 2023, France became the first major poultry exporter to vaccinate farm-raised ducks nationwide. While there was some debate that vaccinated birds might mask infection signs, the U.S. and Canada were convinced enough to lift restrictions last week.