HHS to cancel nearly $600M Moderna flu vaccine contract, STAT reports

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has told Moderna (MRNA) it is canceling an almost $600M contract with the company to develop, test, and license vaccines for flu strains that could result in future pandemics, including the H5N1 bird flu virus, STAT News’ Helen Branswell reports. The move, which had been a possibility given new leadership at HHS, will be viewed as a major blow to the country’s capacity to respond to a potential influenza pandemic, the author notes.