Immunisation trials have commenced in the United Kingdom for a vaccine designed to protect against H5N1, a bird flu strain that has caused significant infections in bird populations globally and spread to certain mammal species. The UK Health Security Agency characterizes the current threat to human populations as relatively low, with documented human infections predominantly occurring through direct contact with infected animals.
The vaccine development employs messenger RNA technology, the same platform used in Covid immunizations currently available. This approach allows for rapid vaccine creation and large-scale manufacturing capabilities, which would be advantageous in a pandemic scenario. The trial aims to enroll individuals from two demographics considered at higher risk: those employed in the poultry industry and people aged 65 and above.
The study will involve 4,000 participants across multiple sites, with approximately three-quarters recruited from 26 locations in England and Scotland and the remainder from the United States. Trial investigators emphasize that while human-to-human transmission does not currently occur readily, it must be treated as a plausible scenario. Since 2024, there have been 116 confirmed human cases internationally, nearly all connected to close animal contact.
Manufacturing capacity represents a significant component of the preparedness strategy. Moderna’s facility in Harwell, Oxfordshire, currently producing Covid vaccines for the UK, has the capability to produce 100 million doses annually under normal circumstances, with capacity to scale to 250 million doses during a pandemic. This represents an advantage over conventional egg-based flu vaccine production methods, which can fail when virulent avian strains kill the eggs used in manufacturing.
The trial received funding support from CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) following a significant reduction in US government mRNA vaccine funding. As part of this arrangement, Moderna has committed to ensuring rapid and affordable vaccine access to lower and middle-income countries should a pandemic occur, addressing supply equity concerns that emerged during the Covid pandemic.
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