The Brief

The Health and Human Services Department, led by vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has withdrawn $766 million in payments to Moderna for the development of a vaccine against flu viruses.

The new vaccine used the same technology that allowed for the rapid development of Covid-19 shots.

The Trump administration has canceled $766 million awarded to drugmaker Moderna Inc. to develop a vaccine against potential pandemic influenza viruses, including the H5N1 bird flu.

The cancellation comes as Moderna announced positive interim results from an early-stage trial of the vaccine that targeted H5 bird flu virus, tested in 300 healthy adults. The funds were awarded through the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, or BARDA, a program focused on medical treatments

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