Moderna Stock Surges After Bird Flu Vaccine Developments and Rising Respiratory Illness Rates

The first U.S. bird flu death and increasing COVID-19 and flu cases have renewed interest in Moderna's vaccine pipeline.

Moderna's stock jumped 12% on Tuesday following news of the first U.S. bird flu death and growing focus on its H5N1 bird flu vaccine, which is in early testing stages.
The CDC reported 66 confirmed U.S. bird flu cases since 2024, but stated the risk to the general public remains low, with higher risks for those in contact with infected animals.
Increased COVID-19 and flu positivity rates have boosted vaccine demand, benefiting Moderna and other companies like Novavax and BioNTech, whose stocks also rose this week.
Moderna's financial struggles post-COVID-19 persist, with 2024 revenue expected to drop by nearly half from 2023, but analysts see potential for recovery with its pipeline of 45 products in development.
The company is also advancing an RSV vaccine and a skin cancer vaccine, which has shown promising results in clinical trials, while leveraging $9.7 billion in cash reserves for potential acquisitions.