The Trump administration has slashed $766 million allocated in funding to Moderna Inc., an American biotech and pharmaceutical company responsible for developing vaccines. Moderna was tasked to make vaccines against potential pandemic influenza viruses, as well as the H5N1 bird flu. The Health and Human Services Department had notified the company on Monday about the withdrawal of funds that were awarded through the BARDA (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) program.HHS is withdrawing funds awarded in January and July this year, intended to finance the development and purchase of the company’s investigational vaccine.Moderna had received $590 million in January and $176 million in July in funding meant to help judge the efficacy of the vaccines for bird flu and other pandemic viruses, as said by a company Spokesperson.Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy has expressed his concerns regarding the company’s vaccines despite evidence that vaccines developed by Moderna are safe and have saved millions of lives before.“While the termination of funding from HHS adds uncertainty, we are pleased by the robust immune response and safety profile observed in this interim analysis,” said the company in a statement as reported by AP. Using the same technology used to develop and roll out vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic, Moderna has developed a new vaccine called mRNA-1018.On the other hand, a new, highly contagious variant of Covid-19 has surfaced in the US known as NB. 1.81. Initially detected in late March and early April among international travelers, cases have since been identified in New York, Ohio, California, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Washington State, and Virginia.Last year, the H5N1 bird flu virus spilled from wild birds into cattle and ended up infecting hundreds of animals across several states. 70 people reported sick with the flu, and one person died.Scientists have warned that continued alteration or evolution in the virus can make it more potent and ultimately lead to a pandemic.
