Moderna Secures CEPI Funding for mRNA Bird Flu Vaccine After U.S. Cancels Funding

Moderna secured new funding from an international organization for its experimental mRNA bird flu vaccine after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) pulled back approximately $700 million in previously committed funding last year. The biotechnology company said that it will receive up to $54.3 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance development of its H5 pandemic influenza vaccine candidate.¹

CEPI is a global public-private partnership that supports vaccine development for emerging infectious diseases. Governments in Germany, Japan, and Norway, along with the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust, established the organization in 2017 with $460 million in funding.

The CEPI funding will be used to finance a Phase III clinical trial of Moderna’s bird flu vaccine, known as mRNA-1018. Moderna plans to begin the late-stage trial in early 2026, with study sites in the United States and the United Kingdom.²

When the DHHS cancelled its contract with Moderna, the company’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel, said:

We will explore alternative paths forward for the program. These clinical data in pandemic influenza underscore the critical role mRNA technology has played as a countermeasure to emerging health threats.³

The CEPI funded study would make mRNA-1018 the first messenger RNA-based bird flu vaccine to enter a Phase III trial if it proceeds on schedule.⁴ Moderna developed the candidate using the same mRNA technology platform it employed for its Spikevax COVID-19 shot.⁵

Private Funding Replaces Federal Support for Vaccine Development

CEPI’s funding reflects a shift in how pandemic vaccine development is being financed as the U.S. government becomes less supportive of these genetically engineered products. The international public-private partnership organization agreed to fund Moderna’s late-stage mRNA bird flu vaccine work after federal backing for the program ended earlier this year.⁶

The agreement links the funding to CEPI’s 100 Days Mission, a framework aimed at accelerating vaccine development timelines during future outbreaks.⁷ Under the terms of the deal, Moderna agreed to reserve 20 percent of available vaccine doses for low- and middle-income countries in the event of a pandemic.⁸ The arrangement also includes provisions related to manufacturing readiness if the mRNA bird flu vaccine is licensed in different countries.⁹

CEPI Previously Funded Moderna’s COVID Shot Development

In 2020, CEPI funded Moderna’s development of Spikevax  as part of its early response to the emergence of the novel coronavirus. The organization supported Moderna’s work with the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to fast track an mRNA-based COVID shot candidate into clinical testing.¹⁰

CEPI also backed other coronavirus vaccine development programs at the time, including those of Inovio Pharmaceuticals and the University of Queensland in Australia. The funding relied on rapid-response platform technologies, such as the mRNA platform, designed to shorten vaccine development timelines for emerging infectious diseases.

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