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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOn May 28, 2025, Moderna said it had received notice that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would terminate funding supporting late-stage development of its investigational H5 avian-influenza vaccine and purchase rights for pre-pandemic influenza vaccines. The same day, Moderna reported positive interim immune-response results from an early-stage trial. Those results show an antibody response—not that the vaccine prevents infection or illness.
What Moderna reported in the H5 vaccine trial
Moderna’s candidate, mRNA-1018, is an investigational pandemic-influenza vaccine targeting H5 avian influenza. The company said its Phase 1/2 study evaluated a two-dose regimen in approximately 300 healthy adults aged 18 and older. The announcement reported interim findings, not a completed efficacy trial.
According to Moderna’s May 28, 2025 announcement, 2.1% of participants had hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) antibody titers of at least 1:40 at baseline. On Day 43—three weeks after the second dose—97.8% reached that threshold, and titers were 44.5 times baseline. Moderna also described the candidate as generally well tolerated, with no dose-limiting tolerability concerns observed.
HAI is an antibody measurement. These figures do not establish how many participants avoided infection, severe disease, or illness, and the threshold is not itself proof of clinical protection. The results are company-reported interim findings; the cited material does not provide an independent trial publication or regulator assessment.
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What funding was terminated—and when
The termination notice came after earlier federal awards supporting Moderna’s pandemic-influenza work. The funding figures reported at different points are not interchangeable:
| Date and source | What was announced |
|---|---|
| July 2, 2024; Moderna | A $176 million BARDA-funded project award through the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle to accelerate mRNA pandemic-influenza vaccine development, including late-stage support for an H5 candidate. |
| January 17, 2025; Moderna | An additional $590 million award for late-stage development and licensure support for pre-pandemic influenza vaccines, plus expansion of studies to additional subtypes. |
| May 28, 2025; Moderna | Moderna said HHS had notified it that the award for late-stage development and purchase rights would be terminated. |
| May 29, 2025; Associated Press | The AP reported the canceled funding total as $766 million. |
The $590 million figure is the value Moderna announced for the January award; the AP’s $766 million figure is its reported total for canceled funding. They describe different award details and announcements, so one should not be substituted for the other. Moderna’s January 17, 2025 award announcement and the Associated Press report provide those respective figures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the later HHS announcement fits
On August 5, 2025, HHS announced a broader wind-down of mRNA vaccine development activities under BARDA, including cancellations and reductions in scope for contracts and solicitations. HHS named the Moderna/University of Texas Medical Branch project among affected collaborations. This was a later, broader policy announcement; it was not the date Moderna first said it received the termination notice.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the funding was being shifted “toward safer, broader vaccine platforms that remain effective even as viruses mutate.” That is Kennedy’s stated rationale, not a conclusion established by the interim mRNA-1018 results. The agency’s announcement is available from HHS, August 5, 2025.
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What the announcement does—and does not—establish
- Established: Moderna reported an interim antibody response after two doses in a Phase 1/2 study and said it received notice of funding termination on May 28, 2025.
- Not established by these interim measurements: whether mRNA-1018 prevents H5 infection or illness, or how well it would perform in a broader population.
- Not established by the cited announcements: the vaccine’s current development or regulatory status, or whether it is available to consumers.
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