Moderna to research hantavirus vaccine as outbreak kills 3

Moderna Inc. said it is researching a potential hantavirus vaccine, sending its shares higher as the company looks to expand its pipeline beyond COVID-19. The move follows a recent outbreak of the rare but deadly Andes strain on a cruise ship that killed three people and revived public health concerns about emerging infectious diseases.

"For a pandemic to occur, the virus cannot be so lethal that it kills 50% of the population, because it quickly kills everyone and runs out of opportunities to spread," Raul Gonzalez Ittig, a biologist at Argentina's Conicet research agency, told AFP, explaining why a hantavirus pandemic is unlikely.

The Andes hantavirus strain is thought to have a mortality rate of around 40 percent, significantly higher than COVID-19. Unlike SARS-CoV-2, hantavirus is not new, having been first identified in the 1950s. It is typically transmitted to humans from the droppings of infected rodents. The Andes strain is the only variant known to have documented, albeit rare, cases of human-to-human transmission. There are currently no approved vaccines or specific treatments for the infection.

For Moderna (MRNA), which trades at a steep discount from its pandemic highs, success in developing a hantavirus vaccine would represent a key step in diversifying its revenue. The company's fortunes have so far been overwhelmingly tied to its Spikevax COVID-19 vaccine, and investors are watching for proof that its mRNA platform can address other significant diseases.

A Different Kind of Threat

Health experts have moved to quell fears of a COVID-like pandemic, emphasizing the fundamental differences between the two viruses. Hantavirus's high lethality and rapid progression mean outbreaks are often contained quickly. "Everything happens much faster: One person transmits it, 10 people become infected, and they die if they do not receive proper treatment," Ittig said. "That is why there is not as much chance of a hantavirus pandemic."

The recent outbreak, which involved passengers on the MV Hondius cruise ship, has been linked to the Andes strain. This is the same strain endemic to parts of Argentina, where the last major outbreak in 2018 killed at least 11 people. Human-to-human spread, while possible with this strain, "requires very specific conditions of close proximity, overcrowding, or an underlying health condition—far beyond what is known for other respiratory viruses," including COVID, said Virginie Sauvage, head of France's National Reference Centre for Hantaviruses.

Debunking Disinformation

The renewed focus on hantavirus has also resurfaced misinformation. Widely shared social media posts have falsely claimed that hantavirus is a side effect of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine. A Reuters Fact Check report clarified that the virus was mentioned in a list of "adverse events of special interest" that Pfizer was monitoring during its 2021 study, regardless of whether a causal link was found. The official product leaflet for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine does not list hantavirus as a side effect.

Moderna's announcement places it in a field with few competitors, but the path from research to a commercial product is long and uncertain. The company has not disclosed a timeline for potential clinical trials or its cash runway for the research program. Still, the news provides a new narrative for a company seeking to prove its technology's value in a post-pandemic world.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.