Bird flu vaccine maker Moderna shares jump after first US death, Barron’s says

Shares of Moderna (MRNA), one of a few drugmakers currently developing a vaccine for the H5N1 bird flu, were up nearly 10% in early trading after the first death from the bird flu was reported in the U.S., Barron’s reports. As of Monday, there had been 66 confirmed human cases of H5N1 bird flu in the U.S. since 2024 and 67 since 2022, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Pfizer (PFE) and GSK (GSK), in partnership with CureVac (CVAC) are also developing bird flu mRNA vaccines. Pfizer gained nearly 2%, while GSK was up 1%, and CureVac was up 3%.