Dec 18 (Reuters) - Moderna ( MRNA ) will get up to $54.3

million in funding from a global coalition to support late-stage

development of its experimental bird flu vaccine, the U.S.

drugmaker said on Thursday.

The vaccine, mRNA-1018, would be the first mRNA-based bird

flu vaccine to enter a pivotal trial, Moderna ( MRNA ) said.

In May, the Trump administration had canceled a $700 million

contract with Moderna ( MRNA ) to develop the vaccine.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or

CEPI, is a global partnership working to accelerate the

development of vaccines against epidemic and pandemic threats.

As part of the agreement, Moderna ( MRNA ) will reserve 20% of its

production capacity for low- and middle-income countries,

promising affordable prices if a pandemic occurs.

Moderna ( MRNA ) said the project is part of a broader effort to

develop vaccines within 100 days of a new pandemic threat being

identified.

The late-stage trial is expected to begin in early 2026 in

the UK and the U.S., building on earlier studies that showed

strong immune responses in healthy adults. Data from Moderna's ( MRNA )

ongoing seasonal flu vaccine trial will also be used to support

the approval process.

"Pandemic influenza remains one of the greatest threats to

global health security," CEPI CEO Richard Hatchett said. "By

harnessing the speed and adaptability of mRNA technology, we

could deliver vaccines faster and at scale."

Unlike conventional influenza vaccines that require virus

growth in eggs or cell culture, a process that can take months,

an mRNA vaccine can be designed in hours or days as soon as the

virus's genetic sequence is known and be swiftly made.