Buoyed by promising clinical findings, Moderna says it will explore alternatives for late-stage development of the H5 vaccine.
The next steps include fleshing out mechanisms for benefit sharing, financing, and supply chain logistics.
The group also recommended two vaccine strains for pandemic preparedness, one for the H5N1 2.3.2.1a clade and another targeting the reemerging H5N6 2.3.4.4h clade.
The authors estimate the cost of narrowing the oxygen gap at $34 billion over the next 5 years but called it a highly cost-effective investment with far-reaching effects.
But HHS and other organizations have taken actions to alleviate the shortages, which began with the 2008-2009 recession.
Experts fear the move could undercut US and global efforts to monitor and respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
The declaration provides immunity for certain claims, including loss caused by or related to administration or use of countermeasures to diseases, threats, or conditions.
Officials said the purchase agreement with CSL Seqirus is part of longer-term plans to shore up vaccine supply against a wider range of pathogens that have pandemic potential.
CEPI and the WHO urge scientists and political leaders to bolster research to prepare for the next pandemic by focusing on families of pathogens and select pathogens.
The authors of the pandemic readiness report point to surges of H5N1 in mammals and of mpox deaths in DR Congo children as some of the latest threats in the face of preparedness gaps.
