(Reuters) – Australia’s CSL said on Wednesday it had won a $121.4 million contract from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to increase the U.S. government’s stockpile of avian influenza vaccines to 40 million doses.
Under the multi-year agreement, CSL will supply MF59 adjuvant, a component that can be used to make vaccines against the H5 avian influenza virus.
“This decision will further support the U.S. government’s pandemic response,” CSL said.
The funding is part of a partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
BARDA, part of HHS, helps companies develop medical supplies to address public health threats.
This is the fifth contract CSL has received from BARDA in response to the avian influenza outbreak. Under previous contracts, the company delivered approximately 4.8 million doses of avian influenza vaccine.
H5 avian influenza is circulating in wild birds around the world and has infected poultry and dairy cows in the U.S. There have been several recent cases among U.S. dairy and poultry workers.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the 14th human case of H5 reported in the United States in 2024 and the first case of H5 with no known occupational contact with sick or infected animals.
“While the public health risk at this time is low, CDC is closely monitoring the situation and working with states to monitor people who have had contact with the animals,” the agency said on its website.
(Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
