Free Republic

Moderna stock spiked in Wednesday trading, climbing 13.7% over the course of the day amid swelling concerns over the avian influenza outbreak in U.S. cattle...Moderna confirmed to Barron's that the company is in discussions with the federal government about "advancing our pandemic flu candidate." Pfizer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is refusing to release additional information about an agreement it reached over a COVID-19 vaccine that has earned it at least $400 million.The NIH declined to provide any materials in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from The Epoch Times.“The NIH withholds the entirety of the records as they are protected from release,” Gorka Garcia-Malene, an NIH officer, told The Epoch Times in a letter.She cited an exemption outlined in the act that allows government agencies to partially or fully withhold information.“In this case, exemption 3 incorporates 35 U.S.C. 209 (f),...

Moderna announced Wednesday that its updated COVID-19 vaccine is effective against emerging variants of the virus, including the Pirola variant. The XBB.1.5 variant, also referred to as Kraken, has risen in prevalence this year. The World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are also keeping an eye on Pirola, which has over 30 mutations. According to the CDC, the Pirola variant is “notable because it has multiple genetic differences from previous versions” of the coronavirus and it “may be more capable of causing infection in people who have previously had COVID-19 or who have received...