HHS orders production of human bird flu vaccines

We’re back with news you might have missed over the weekend: HHS has ordered the manufacture of human bird flu vaccines as a precaution (with a contract with a BIO member) and GE microbes could transform agriculture—with regulatory reform. (514 words, 2 minutes, 34 seconds)

HHS orders production of human bird flu vaccines as a precaution

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ordered the manufacture of 4.8 million doses of H5N1 bird flu vaccines for potential use to protect at-risk farm workers.

The news: HHS asked BIO member CSL Seqirus to use a formula targeting a virus closely matching the current H5N1 to produce finished vaccines, Reuters reported. While human vaccination has not begun, last week’s report of a second dairy worker contracting H5N1 may increase that possibility.

Why it matters: The apparent spread of the virus from cow to cow, and the recent infections causing mild symptoms in dairy workers—only the second and third human H5N1 infections in the U.S.—raise concerns about the virus mutating to be able to spread between humans.

A low risk (so far): Scientists have said several mutations of H5N1 are necessary before the virus can spread from human to human, risking a pandemic.

BIO’s view: “It’s obvious that human health is closely intertwined with the health of the environment we live in and the animals who share that environment,” said Phyllis Arthur, EVP and Head of Healthcare Policy and Programs. “We need to take the obvious step of addressing threats in any of these areas as an overarching, One Health problem.”

What’s next: HHS is also in talks with BIO members GSK and Moderna as well as Pfizer about potential vaccines. If a human vaccination campaign is recommended, it's expected to target farm workers deemed at risk because of proximity to birds and cattle.

BIO: ‘Genetically engineered microbes could transform agriculture’

“GE microbes are a promising and crucial tool for improving plant health and agricultural efficacy and solving the most significant issue of our generation: climate change,” writes Beth Ellikidis, BIO’s VP of Agriculture and Environment, in RealClearScience on Friday—but we need regulatory reform to get there.

Why GE microbes matter: “Through microbes’ ability to enhance nutrient uptake in soil, GE microbe products of the future may bolster insect resistance, drought tolerance, and heat tolerance among key crops. This is especially important now that climate change induces more extreme weather events,” Ellikidis writes.

The challenge: Current U.S. regulations “require biotechnology companies to outline the identification of GE microbes clearly and comprehensively before these products can be put into the field. Unfortunately, it is impossible to test these identifications without first permitting field trials, creating a ‘chicken or the egg’ problem,” says Ellikidis.

International competition looms: “Recently, Brazil became one of the first nations to approve the export of several products that contain microbial biotech-derived food ingredients such as yeast and alkaline protease,” she continues. 

“The U.S. cannot ignore this opportunity to be a leader in climate, agriculture, and trade and create a market for this emerging industry,” Ellikidis says.

The bottom line: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture must devote the necessary resources to develop a science-based process to determine which microbial products can be released for field tests and further research. Doing so would unleash a crucial tool to boost agricultural efficacy and mitigate the impacts of climate change,” she concludes.

President Biden’s Tuesday: No official events scheduled. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: Recess.