Topic analysis

Bird flu vaccine trial against potential pandemic strain begins

A large-scale mRNA vaccine trial targeting the H5N1 avian flu strain has commenced, with the first volunteers immunized in the UK. Funded by CEPI following the U.S. government's $500M cut to mRNA vaccine funding, the trial aims to recruit 4,000 participants (including poultry workers and adults over 65 in the UK and U.S.) to evaluate safety and immune response; if successful, Moderna's Harwell plant can produce up to 250 million doses annually, with guaranteed affordable supply to low- and middle-income countries to prevent vaccine nationalism.