HHS awards $590 million to Moderna to develop mRNA vaccines against pandemic flu threats

News brief

On one of the final days of the Biden Administration, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced $590 million in support for Moderna to speed the development of mRNA vaccines against potential pandemic flu viruses and to better prepare the platform to respond to other emerging infectious diseases.

man vaccinated
Cal OES / Flickr cc

In a January 17 statement, HHS said the award was made through the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV) Consortium with funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the HHS Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

The funding allows Moderna to speed the development of an H5N1 avian flu mRNA vaccine that matches the strains circulating in cows and birds and expand its clinical data that would support the use of mRNA vaccines, if needed, against other flu strains that have pandemic potential.

HHS said Moderna will develop and assess an mRNA vaccine against H7N9 avian influenza in a phase 3 clinical trial. The company will also design up to four other novel pandemic flu vaccines and do the phase 1 clinical studies.

Moderna says results from early trials are positive

In a statement on the same day, Moderna said it launched a phase 1/2 study to gather safety and immunogenicity data for an investigational pandemic flu vaccine called mRNA-1018 in healthy adults ages 18 and older. The study included vaccine candidates against H5 and H7 avian flu viruses. Based on positive preliminary data, the company said it is preparing for phase 3 studies and will share its phase 1/2 clinical trial findings at an upcoming scientific meeting.

In the HHS statement, former HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O'Connell, JD, said, "mRNA technology will complement existing vaccine technology, allowing us to move faster and better target emerging viruses to protect Americans’ against future pandemics."

Paxlovid protects against hospital care, death, especially in older patients, data show

News brief
paxlovid pill
seb_ra / iStock

A new real-world study published in PLOS Medicine that looked at outcomes of 703,647 patients with COVID-19 seen at 34 US clinics in 2022 and 2023 found that Paxlovid use was correlated with lower rates of hospitalization and death, particularly among older patients. 

Both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients benefitted from Paxlovid when administered within 5 days of COVID-19 infection confirmation, the authors said. But researchers observed lower rates of use among Black and Hispanic patients than among White patients. 

The study was based on the National COVID Cohort Collaborative’s (N3C) electronic health record database. While clinical trials showed as high as an 88.9% reduction in the risk of COVID-related hospitalization or death among those who received Paxlovid compared to those who received placebos, limited real-world data has been gathered in the post-Omicron era on Paxlovid efficacy. 

Paxlovid not equitably distributed 

In this study, the authors estimated that Paxlovid reduced the risk of hospitalization by 39% (95% confidence interval [CI], 36% to 41%), with an absolute risk reduction of 0.9 percentage points. The risk of death was reduced by 61% (95% CI, 55% to 67%), with an absolute risk reduction of 0.2 percentage points.

In the study cohort, 15.7% of Black patients and 15.1% of Hispanic patients were treated with Paxlovid, compared to 22.4% of White patients and 23.1% of Asian patients.

“Paxlovid is thus effective at reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes but is not equitably distributed,” the authors said. “Without attention, recognition, and remediation on the part of providers, public health agencies, the health system, and communities, the disproportional burden of COVID-19 will only further exacerbate existing health inequities in the US.”

Tanzania confirms Marburg outbreak in Kagera region

News brief

Yesterday the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tanzania has 1 confirmed case of Marburg and 25 suspected cases all from the northwestern Kagera region.

So far all 25 suspected case-patients have tested negative for the virus but remain under close surveillance. 

"Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population," said Matshidiso Moeti, MD, WHO regional director for Africa, in a statement. 

The outbreak comes nearly 2 years after the country reported its first outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic virus in March 2023.

Same region affected in 2023

The 2023 outbreak also occurred in the Kagera region, and included 9 cases (8 confirmed) and 6 deaths, resulting in a case-fatality rate of 67%. Fruit bats in the area act as likely reservoirs of the virus. 

According to the WHO, previous Marburg outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa, and Uganda. 

Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease.

"WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of Tanzania," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD. "Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease."

Currently there are no treatments for Marburg, but patients with early access to rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids have improved survival rates.

Quick takes: More UK clade 1b mpox, Bolivia Chapare virus case, measles in 2 US states

News brief
  • The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (HSA) yesterday reported the country’s sixth clade 1b mpox case since October 2024, which involves a patient who had recently returned from Uganda, where the virus is circulating in the community. The illness was confirmed in East Sussex, and health officials are monitoring the patient’s close contacts. The novel clade was identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2024, and last August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern to curb the spread. Since then, imported clade 1b cases have been reported in several countries, with some instances involving limited spread to household contacts.
  • The WHO yesterday issued an alert about a Chapare virus infection in Bolivia, based on information from the country’s government. Chapare virus, which is spread by infected rodents and causes a hemorrhagic febrile illness, was first identified in Bolivia in 2003 and has been linked to five outbreaks, mainly in the rural areas around La Paz department, where the patient was from. The man’s symptoms began on December 19. After his condition worsened, he was transferred to a local health center, where he died. Investigators found a severe rodent infestation in and around the man’s home. Tests on blood samples from two of his contacts were negative.
  • Two jurisdictions—Houston and Rhode Island—have reported recent travel-related measles cases. In Texas, the Houston Health Department reported two confirmed cases in adults with unknown vaccination status. They are from the same household and had both recently traveled internationally. Officials are tracking exposures ranging from December 19 to January 3 at locations such as restaurants, retail stores, a church, and health clinics. Elsewhere, the Rhode Island Department of Health reported a measles infection in a young unvaccinated child who had traveled internationally. The patient was hospitalized earlier this month and is now home after recovering. The case marks Rhode Island’s first measles infection since 2013. By December 19, 2024, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had received reports of 284 cases across 32 jurisdictions, up sharply compared to 2023. Seventy percent of the cases in 2024 were part of 16 outbreaks. 

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